Rattle The Stars
by LilyNevermore
Summary: Queen Mirana of Marmoreal is the third daughter of Cora, and the only one with no magic. After being sent to Wonderland with her mother, and traveling worlds for a while, she finally ends up back in the Enchanted Forest, only to find it destroyed by the Dark Curse and she's left alone again. What will happen when she goes back to Storybrooke with Emma and Snow? Read on and see.
1. Chapter 1

Mirana's POV:

Who could possibly be in here? And why? I can hear voices above me in the—Isn't that where the nursery is? Why would anyone be up there of all places? I stood from the pile of rubble that I was sitting on, and walked up the stairs to the floor above, before reaching the nursery. Four women stood inside, two I knew, two I didn't. The two that I know were Mulan and Aurora… Great. I didn't really want to see them again. The other two looked to be both in their late twenties or early thirties. One had short, black hair and the other had long blond hair. They both wore odd clothes, like nothing I'd ever seen in this world before.

"Come. We'll stand watch at the gate." Mulan and Aurora left the room, headed toward another door, before they disappeared from sight.

"I never thought I'd see this place again," the black haired one said. "This room. It was your nursery."

"I lived here?" the blond replied.

"You never even got to spend a night. This is the life I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you how to walk in here, how to talk, how to dress for your first ball. You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family."

"We have a family—in Storybrooke. And right now they need us to get back there."

"What is Storybrooke?" I asked from the doorway. "And how is she possibly your daughter? You look the same age."

They whirled around to face me.

"Who the hell are you?" the blond asked.

"My name is Mirana," I replied, standing up straight and walking into the light. "I live here. Who are you?"

"I'm Emma. Emma Swan, how did you—"

"Wait a minute…" The black haired one was staring at me, like she recognized me. "Mirana?"

I blinked. "Yes… Have we met?"

"It's me…. Snow."

I perked up, recognizing the name. "Snow? Really?"

"Yeah!" She stepped forward and hugged me, which I returned somewhat awkwardly.

"Okay, am I missing something here?" Emma asked. "You two know each other?"

Snow pulled away and looked at Emma. "Yes. We haven't seen each other since we were children, but…" Snow looked at me. "You don't look a day over eighteen. The last time I saw you, we were the same age."

I shrugged. "I know. It seems that magic has kept me young, not that I can seem to access any of it." (Or that I want to.) "How did you get back here? Most everybody seemed to disappear after the Curse struck."

"We fell through a hat… It's a long story."

"A hat? A portal hat? Have you seen Jefferson? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine, I think. How do you know Jefferson?" Emma asked.

"I spent a few years in Wonderland with my mother before I made it back here."

"Who's your mother?"

"Her name is Cora."

Emma frowned. "Regina's your sister?"

I nodded. "Yes. Is she in this mysterious Storybrooke as well?"

"Yeah, she cast the curse. How do you not know all of this?"

"I was in Agrabah before I made it back here, and I got back just as the curse hit. But the place where I landed, it was like it was shielded. Nothing happened to it. They were there too—Mulan and Aurora. Anyway, I ran for a long time and I ended up here. I never knew this was Snow's castle. Small world. Tell me, how are you planning to get back to this mysterious world my sister created?"

Snow pointed to the old wardrobe. "If we find someone with access to magic, maybe we can get it working again and go home."

"I see."

The two of them walked over to the wardrobe, and I followed, standing slightly back from them as they pulled it open.

"Where's the "on" switch?" Emma asked.

"It's more complicated than that," Snow replied. "We'll have to get it back to the island. Hopefully, someone there has access to enough magic to make it work again."

"And how exactly to you plan on carrying that thing all the way back to the island?" I asked.

"With the help of an old friend." Snow looked toward the doorway at the sound of the voice.

I followed her gaze and watched Lancelot walk into the room.

"Lancelot. What are you doing here?" Snow said.

"We heard about the ogre attack, and I had to make sure you were all right," he replied.

"Oh. Where are Mulan and Aurora?"

"I sent them to find food. Tonight we'll make camp, and in the morning, we'll head back."

Is it just me, or does something seem off about him?

Lancelot stared at the wardrobe. "So… This is it—The portal you were after."

Snow nodded. "The same one Emma went through. It's how she escaped the curse."

"Remarkable."

"Geppetto carved it from an enchanted tree, but… there's no magic left."

"A portal this powerful… there must be another way to recharge it."

"Why are you so interested in the wardrobe?" I asked suspiciously. "I don't know you, but this seems extreme."

"Well, I just want to Snow to get home to her husband." He nodded at Emma. "And son. Henry. They must miss you."

Pushing Emma and me behind her, Snow unsheathed her sword, pointing it at Lancelot threateningly.

"Stay away from him, you two. He is not who he says he is," Snow said.

"What are you talking about? Who the hell is he?" Emma demanded.

"I have a guess…" I trailed off. The way he was speaking sounds a lot like…

"There is only one person you told Henry's name," Snow said.

"Cora," Emma said.

Purple smoke swirled around Lancelot and he turned into Cora. "Clever girl." She looked at me. "Hello, Mirana. It's been a long time."

"Mother…" I muttered, taking a small step back.

"Where's Lancelot?" Snow demanded.

"He's dead. I killed him a long time ago."

"And you've been posing as him ever since."

"Well, they'd never listen to me. And besides, every kingdom needs a hero, don't you think?"

Snow stabbed at her with her sword. Cora waved her hand and blue light grabbed Snow, throwing her against the wall and holding her there. Cora waved her other hand and Emma flew across the room as well. I stayed where I was, frozen, not knowing what to do. I don't have any access to my magic, if it's even there, and Cora is very powerful… She also scares the hell out of me.

Cora walked over to Snow. "Thank you, Snow. I've been looking for a way over for so long. I never thought the person to help me find it… would be you."

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"I want to see my daughters. It's been too long." Cora looked at me. "I never suspected that my youngest would be right under my nose this whole time." She turned back to Snow. "And you know, I would love to meet my grandson Henry."

"No, you won't!" Emma yelled.

She struck a match and the wardrobe went up in flames, causing me to jump back.

"No!" Cora pulled the ball of fire away from the wardrobe and aimed it at Emma.

"Mother, no!" I yelled.

But it was too late. Cora threw the ball of fire at Emma, only to have Mulan jump in the way and the fire to reflect off of her sword. Cora looked around the room at the five of us.

"Mother, go. You're outnumbered," I said.

"We're not done," Cora said.

With that, she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, releasing Snow, who fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked her.

"You saved me," Snow replied.

"Yeah, well… Where is she?"

"Gone," I said, my eyes on the burning wardrobe. "And so is your way home." I turned to Snow. "I'm sorry about Lancelot. I'm guessing he was a friend of yours."

"Lancelot was one of most noble knights I ever knew," Snow replied.

Mulan sighed. "How could I be so blind? How could I not see that it was Cora?"

"My mother is very good at what she does," I said. "She's very smart and very devious at times. She could've fooled anyone."

"But she didn't fool you," Emma said.

I looked at her. "What?"

"When Lancelot walked in, you knew, didn't you? That it wasn't him?"

"I suppose, yes… I had my suspicions, which turned out to be correct. Not that it did any good. I did nothing when she attacked you two. I'm sorry."

Emma put her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. Your mom seems like the type of person that could scare anyone."

"Thanks, Emma."

Mulan looked at Aurora. "What are we going to tell the people on the island?"

"The truth—That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain," Snow replied. "He died an honorable death."

"Cora's still out there. We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom."

My head snapped up at that. "I don't think looking for my mother is ever a very good idea."

"Yes, and who's going to lead us?" Aurora asked, still watching Mulan. "You?"

"No." Mulan turned to Snow. "You."

"I'm honored, but Emma and I still have to find a way back to Storybrooke," Snow replied.

"We'll help you. Well find a way, won't we?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes. Perhaps it'll help me channel my anger."

"Come."

Mulan and Aurora walked out of the room. I stayed exactly where I was, leaning against the burned wardrobe. There's no reason for me to go with them, I add nothing to the team. I'm probably better off here, alone.

Emma faced Snow. "I'm, uh… sorry I torched our ride home. I couldn't let her get to Henry. I just—"

"You had to put Henry first."

"I was angry for so long… wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you. But then just seeing all this… you gave up everything for me and you're still doing that. Sorry. I'm not good at this. I… I guess I just…" Her voice broke. "I'm not—I'm not used to someone putting me first."

Snow hugged her. "Well, get used to it."

They broke apart from the hug and started walking out of the room. Snow stopped to pick up her arrows and noticed me, still leaning against the wardrobe.

"Are you coming?" Snow asked.

I blinked. "Why would I? I don't add anything to the team. I'm useless. You'll be better off without me and I'd be better off here, alone."

Snow crossed the room and took my hand. "That's not true. You know more about Cora than all of us put together. And you heard Cora—She wants her daughters back, which means she's not going to leave you alone. Come back to Storybrooke with us. Everyone is there. You can be happy there."

I thought about it for a minute, then sighed. "Well… I would like to see my sister again."

Snow smiled. "That's the spirit. Let's go."

Keeping her hold on my hand, Snow and I walked to the door. When we reached the doorway, Snow stopped and looked back at the room for a moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She looked back at me and shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Guys! So, I published this story only a few hours ago and we already have two follows and a favorite, so I want to thank you guys for that.**

 **Ali (Guest): First of all, thank you for reviewing! I'm happy that you like my writing and my OC. Thank you for saying I'm a good writer, that means a lot. Well, look no farther for the new chapter, because here it is.**

 **Let's get started.**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

Mulan, Aurora, Emma, Snow, and I had been walking all night, on our way to the island. I was near the back of the group with Emma, who was telling me all about Storybrooke.

"Let me get this straight… My sister cast the Curse, adopted your son Henry, tried to put you under a sleeping curse, Henry sacrificed himself, and then you woke him up, broke the curse, and brought magic back all at the same time?" I asked, trying to sum up everything she'd told me.

"Yeah, pretty much," Emma replied. "Then there was the wraith attack, and we got sucked into the hat. That's basically everything."

"This world sounds complicated."

"You have no idea."

Up ahead, Mulan was going over the plan with Aurora again. The Princess wasn't too happy about lying about Lancelot, but I'd say it's necessary.

"I don't know if I can do this," Aurora said. "I'm not a very good liar."

"Oh, it's not really a lie, Aurora," Snow told her. "Lancelot did die an honorable death. And Cora did escape. All true."

"Technically, Mother only said that she kill him a long time ago," I pointed out. "Meaning that you can't possibly know how exactly he died, much less if it was honorable or not."

Snow shot me an annoyed look.

"What?" I asked. "I'm not saying he definitely didn't die an honorable death, I'm just saying that you can't know for sure."

"Either way, there's no reason to cause unnecessary panic amongst your people," Emma said.

"I'm not so sure it's unnecessary—" Aurora started.

Mulan stopped and held up her hand. "Wait. The tower. We always have sentries guarding the entrance." She unsheathed her sword. "Stay close."

We finally entered the camp, only to find most everything destroyed and a pile of dead bodies.

"Oh, my god," Emma muttered.

"This can't be," Mulan said, as we walked through the wreckage. "Our land—we were protected here, hidden. How did the ogres find us?"

I stared down at all the bodies. "They didn't. All of their hearts of been ripped out, which means that my mother did this."

"We have to stop her," Snow said.

Mulan shook her head. "Too late. She killed them. She killed them all."

"No, we have to stop her before she hurts anyone else."

"Hey." Emma pointed to one of the bodies. "Hey, look."

Aurora knelt down to look. "There's someone under there. He's alive."

Mulan pushed the other bodies off of him and uncovered a man, still alive.

"Please help me," he said.

"It's okay," Snow told him. "You're safe now. We won't hurt you."

"Thank you."

* * *

I kept my distance, eyeing the man suspiciously. I'm not so sure about this. It's not like my mother to leave any survivors, especially in a massacre like this.

Opting to keep my distance from the mysterious man, I walked with Emma and Mulan near the edge of the ruined camp.

"Have you seen him before?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I've seen him around. He's a blacksmith," Mulan replied. "Came to our camp a couple months ago. Said he lost his hand in an ogre attack."

I shook my head. "I don't like this. My mother is not one to leave survivors, unless she's planning something."

"You think he's lying?" Mulan asked.

"I think I know my mother, and this isn't like her. It's messy, and she doesn't do messy."

We reached the table where the others were. Emma set a glass of water in front of the man. "There you go."

"I can't thank you enough for your kindness," he replied. "Fortune, it seems, has seen fit to show me favor."

"An island full of corpses. You're the only one to escape," Emma said. "How exactly did that happen?"

"She attacked at night, slaughtered everyone in one fell swoop. When she started ripping out people's hearts, I hid under the bodies of those who had already been killed. Pretended to be dead myself. Mercifully, the ruse worked."

"So much for fortune favoring the brave."

"It was all I could do to survive."

"If you are telling the truth," I stated, watching him through narrowed eyes.

Emma leaned down and lowered her voice. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me."

"I'm telling you the truth," he replied.

"We should leave here," Mulan said. "In case Cora decides to come back."

"We should start searching for a new portal back to Storybrooke," Snow said. "I only got about five minutes with my husband. Not to mention, my grandson."

"You have a grandson?" the man asked.

"Long story."

"Well, I know this land well. I can guide you."

Emma pulled his head back and held her dagger to his throat. "You're not gonna guide us anywhere until you tell us who you really are."

Well, he didn't want to tell us anything, so Mulan and Emma tied him to a tree… I can't say I'm not onboard with this plan.

"I already told you. I'm just a blacksmith," the man repeated.

"Sure you are," Emma replied. She turned and whistled to get the ogre's attention. Growling came from the trees across the clearing. "You don't want to talk to us? Maybe you'll talk to the ogres while they rip you limb from limb. Come on."

"What? You—you can't just leave me here like this!"

We started walking away.

"What if he's telling the truth?" Mulan asked.

"He's not," Emma and I replied together.

"Good for you!" the man yelled. We stopped walking. "You bested me. I can count the amount of people who've done that on one hand."

"Well, you'd kind of have to," I commented.

Emma walked back over to the tree, Mulan and I following. "That supposed to be funny? Who are you?"

"Killian Jones, but most people have taken to call me by my more colorful moniker—Hook."

"Hook," Snow repeated.

"Check my satchel."

"As in Captain Hook?" Emma asked.

"Ah, so you've heard of me."

Snow dug through Killian's satchel and pulled out a silver hook. More growling came from the trees. The ogres were getting closer.

"We need to get out of here," I said.

Emma looked at Hook. "You better hurry up. They're getting closer. So unless you wanna be dinner, you better start talking."

Hook chuckled. "Cora wanted me to gain your trust so I could learn everything there is to know about your Storybrooke." He nodded at me. "Your mother sends her regards. I guess she underestimated your suspicions."

I scowled. "Nothing unusual there."

"She didn't want any surprises when she finally got over there."

"She can't get there. We destroyed the wardrobe," Snow said.

"Ah, but the enchantment remains. Cora gathered the ashes. She's gonna use them to open up a portal. Now if you'll kindly cut me loose."

"No," Mulan snarled. "We should leave him here to die to pay for all the lives that he took."

"That was Cora, not me."

"Let's go." Emma turned away.

"Wait. Wait! You need me alive."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we both want the same thing—to get back to your land," Hook replied.

Emma stepped forward. "You would say anything to save yourself. Why are we supposed to believe you now?"

"I arranged for transport with Cora, but seeing how resourceful you are, I'll offer you the same deal—I'll help you if you promise to take me along."

"And how are you going to help us get there?" I asked. "We should just cut him loose and let him crawl back into whatever hole he crawled out of."

"The ashes will open a portal, but to find your land, she needs more," Hook said. "There's an enchanted compass. Cora seeks it. I'll help you obtain it before she does."

"So Cora won't make it to Storybrooke, and we'll be one step closer to getting home," Emma said.

Snow shook her head. "Sounds too good to be true."

"There's only one way to find out," Hook pointed out.

Emma pointed her dagger at Hook. "You tell me one thing—and whatever you say, I better believe it—Why does Captain Hook want to go to Storybrooke?"

"To exact revenge on the man who took my hand—Rumpelstiltskin."

The trees around us started to rustle and the ogres started roaring.

"We don't have time for this," I said. "Cut him down. We'll take him with us…. For now."

Emma nodded and started cutting the ropes.

"Who elected you leader?" Aurora asked.

I gave her a look. "No one. But I'm the only one who's actually made a decision before we get attacked. There's been enough stalling. And for the record, Aurora… I may be the youngest, and I may not have magic like my mother and sister, but I was still a queen in Wonderland. I know how to make decision when it's necessary."

Emma finished untying Hook.

"Let's go," she said.

We walked for a long time, at Hook's direction, following a long path. I stayed near the back of the group with Snow and Emma.

"Up ahead," Hook said. "We'll find the compass just over the ridge."

"Do you get the feeling he's leading us exactly where Cora wants us, that this whole thing's a trap?" Snow asked.

"Of course, it's a trap," I replied. "My mother is very smart. She'll have had a backup plan in case we figured it out."

"But as long as we know they're trying to play us, we can—" Emma started.

"Stay one step ahead of them," I finished.

"Exactly."

We came to a stop at the top of the hill. Ahead of us, was a beanstalk, leading all the way up to the clouds… Of course.

"Let me guess," Emma said. "The compass is up there?"

"Oh, yeah," Hook replied.

"So how do we… get to it?"

"It's not the climb you need to worry about. It's the giant at the top."

"How fun," I commented.

We started walking again and began the journey to the beanstalk.

* * *

 **Alright, guys, that is it for this chapter of Rattle The Stars. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review and tell me what you thought. I'll update soon. Bye guys, - Lily**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys! Oh, my God, I published this story less than twenty-four hours ago and we are already at seven follows, five favorites, and I could not be happier about that. Thank you guys so much.**

 **Ali (Guest): I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Let's start the chapter!**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

After an afternoon of walking, we finally reached the base of the beanstalk.

"It's a little freakier than I remember from the story," Emma said.

"Reminds me of death," Mulan added.

"That's morbid," I commented.

"Encouraging," Snow stated.

"Well, your compass awaits," Hook said. "Shall we?"

"Wait. If these beans… create… portals, why not just pick one and go home?" Emma asked. "Why the compass?"

"Because there aren't any more beans," Hook replied. "Whatever story you think you know, my dear, is most certainly wrong."

"There was a guy named Jack and a cow and something about an evil giant with a treasure and a golden goose. Or harp."

"Sounds like a lovely tale, but the truth's a little bit more gruesome. The giants grew the beans but rather than use them for good, they used them to plunder all the lands. Jack was a man who fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil giants. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died. If they couldn't have their magic, then nobody could. It's really very bad form."

I frowned… That doesn't really sound right. I haven't heard the stories in a long time, but…. I don't know. Something seems off.

"So, plundering and hording… sounds like the next level of pirates," I said.

"I take offense to that," Hook replied.

"You were supposed to."

"Evil giants who made magic portal beans?" Emma asked. "Why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?"

"Because the one giant that survived… is the strongest and most terrible of them all. And now we'll have to get past him to—" Hook started.

"The magic compass," Snow finished.

"Yes, exactly. The treasure is still there, and with it, the compass. It will guide us to Storybrooke."

"Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes," Hook explained. "But she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, steal the ashes from her, and we're on our way."

I faced the pirate. "Hang on a minute, you're proposing that we steal the ashes from my mother? The woman with extremely powerful magic, who just slaughtered an entire island of people? Sincerest apologies, but that'll be borderline impossible."

"And how do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" Mulan added.

I nodded. "That too."

"Because you five are far safer company," Hook replied. "All I need is a ride back. I'll swear allegiance to whomever gets me there first."

"That's not exactly reassuring."

"Well, then we'd better start climbing," Emma said.

"Right, so…" Hook chuckled. "… I failed to mention that the giant enchanted the beanstalk to repel intruders."

"All right, so how do we get up there?"

"I've got a counter spell from Cora, if you'd be so kind." He held up his bound hands.

Snow stepped forward and untied them, a glare on her face.

"Thank you, Milady," Hook said. He held up his wrist to reveal a glowing cuff. "I've got one more of these. Cora was to accompany me. So… Which one of you five lovelies shall take her place? Hmm? Go on. Fight it out. Don't be afraid to, you know, really get into it."

I simply watched as everyone started arguing, leaning against the beanstalk and rolling my eyes the entire time.

"All due respect, I'm the best-equipped to go," Mulan said. "How many wars have you been through?"

"My share," Snow replied.

"It should be me," Aurora chimed in.

Mulan looked at her. "You? You haven't fought in a battle."

"This is about us getting home to our loved ones," Snow snapped. "Why would you—"

"Because I have no loved ones. If I fail, you can still go on."

"It's me," Emma stated. "I'm going, and I'm not gonna fail."

Snow sighed. "You're new here."

"It's about getting back to Henry. I don't care what I have to face."

I finally stood up straight and walked over to Hook. "Enough, this is ridiculous." I grabbed the cuff from Hook and slid it onto my wrist. "Cora was going to join you, right? Let's replace Mother with Daughter."

"No, not happening. You're the least equipped out of all of us," Mulan argued.

I turned to her. "That's not true. I'm much more equipped than Sleeping Beauty over there. I know the most about magic, and I know the most about the giants, second only to the good Captain. You all may have weapons, but I actually know what I'm getting into. I'm going. End of story."

They all stared at me, but none of them argued.

I nodded to Mulan. "Do you have anything in that bag that could help me?"

She glanced at Hook. "A hook."

"Hey!" Hook snapped.

"Come with me."

I followed Mulan a few feet away and she pulled a small bag out of her satchel.

"This…" She said. "Powder made from poppies. He has to inhale it."

I nodded and took the bag. "How strong is your sword?"

"The most powerful blade in all the realms."

"Well, is it strong enough to cut through the beanstalk?"

"Indeed."

I glanced at the beanstalk before looked back at Mulan. "Then give me ten hours. If I'm not back yet, then cut it down and keep going."

"The others won't like that."

"Exactly. Why do you think I'm asking you? If I don't get back, please get them home."

Mulan nodded.

"Ladies," Hook said. "In this world, we are slaves to time. And ours is running out. In other words, ticktock."

Rolling my eyes, I walked back to Hook.

"I was hoping it would be you," he said, smirking.

"Don't be creepy," I snapped.

"That cuff will let you climb, but there are other dangers. Thankfully, you've got me to protect you." He pointed at his empty wrist. "I can't climb one-handed, can I?"

Reluctantly, I pulled the hook out of my bag and handed it over.

"Don't think about trying anything," I warned. "I won't be taking my eyes off you, I hope you know."

"I would despair if you did."

"Let's go."

We walked over to the base of the beanstalk.

"After you, Your Majesty," Hook said.

"Nice try," I snapped. "I'm wearing a dress, in case you didn't notice. And I don't intend on climbing up this thing with you staring up my skirts. After you, Captain."

Only stopping to stare at me for a moment, Hook started up the beanstalk. I glanced back at the rest, smiled at them, and followed.

* * *

What seemed like a mile of climbing later, I kept having to stop to get a better hold. Note to self: Never climb a beanstalk in a dress.

"First beanstalk?" Hook asked, from four feet above me. "Well, you never forget your first. You know, most men would take your silence as off-putting, but I love a challenge."

I scoffed. "Are you trying to tempt me into pushing you off this thing? Because, if so, it's working. Now, shut up. I'm trying to concentrate."

"No, you're afraid. Afraid to talk, to reveal yourself, to trust me. Things'll be a lot smoother if you do."

"I'd think you'd be used to people not trusting you… Or liking you."

"Oh. The pirate thing. Well, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book."

"Oh, really?"

"Quite. Let's see. You volunteered to come up here, because you're the smartest of the group. You're trying to get away from your mother."

"Are you simply trying to state the obvious? And I'm not the smartest of the group, I just know the most about this. And if Cora was your mother, wouldn't you want to get away from her?"

"So why not just stay in a different world then? You said you were from Wonderland, so I'm thinking you've traveled with the beans before. But why come back to the Enchanted Forest? And for the record, I disagree. Out of the rest of us, I'd say you're definitely the smartest."

I stopped climbing and eyed him. "I came back because I was looking for my sister, but I was too late. She'd already cast the curse. But I used my last bean to get back here, so now I'm stuck. Now, it has turned into getting out of whatever world my mother is in, yes."

Hook smiled. "Like I said, an open book."

"I think you're taking credit for knowing more than you really do. You only know why I'm here, but you don't know anything about me. Not really."

"Oh, really? I know your mother was always focused on your sister, which made you the forgotten child. I know you can't use any of your magic, either. Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? You ever been in love?"

I hesitated, looking at the beanstalk to avoid looking him in the eyes. "I can't say that I have, no. And with my mother, I was lucky to be the forgotten child. I grew up watching my mother torture my sister and make her do things she didn't want to do. But the day that I got pulled through that mirror to Wonderland was the best day of my life. That was the day I was free. As for my magic, I don't even know if it's really there, and I don't really care that much. Remember when I talked about pushing you off this thing? I think we should revisit that idea."

* * *

Finally, we reached the top of the beanstalk. In front of us, was a huge stone castle and a lot of giants' skeletons. Half of the castle had been reduced to rubble, probably in the war.

"Was this where the final battle was?" I asked.

"Yes," Hook replied. "Give me your hand."

"Excuse me?"

"Your hand—It's cut. Let me help you."

I glanced at my bleeding hand. "It's nothing, it's alright."

"No, it's not." He grabbed my wrist so I couldn't pull my hand away.

I scoffed. "So, you're playing gentleman, now? How un-piratelike."

He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Giants can smell blood, and I'm always a gentleman."

He had me there… I forgot giants could smell blood. In my defense, I was a little distracted by the giant skeletons around me."

I sighed. "Fine. Make it quick."

Hook uncorked a flask and poured the contents over my hand, causing it to sting horribly.

I hissed in pain. "What is that? It burns."

"It's rum," Hook replied. "A bloody waste of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it smells vile, and you're back to being a typical pirate again, carrying around a flask of rum, which I'm assuming usually isn't for medical purposes."

"You have me there."

"Just hurry up. It hurts."

Hook took off the thin scarf that hung around his neck, and wrapped it around my hand. "Here's the plan. We wait for the giant to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak last him into his cave. It's where the treasures are, where the compass lies."

"Yes, I could've told you that. Then what?"

"And then we run like hell."

"Interesting. But I don't have time to wait for the giant to fall asleep, and I don't care to spend that much time up here with you. We should use the powder that Mulan gave us."

"Well, that's riskier."

"Riskier than waiting for a giant to fall asleep when we need him to?"

"Point taken. You're tougher than you look, Lass. You'd make a hell of a pirate."

Hook handed me the powder and I noticed a tattoo on his wrist with the name Milah in the middle of it.

"Who's Milah?" I asked curiously.

Hook looked away. "Someone from long ago."

"So where is she?"

"She's gone." Hook walked away, headed toward the castle.

"Has to be Rumplestiltskin's doing, doesn't it?" I muttered. I turned around. "Rumplestiltskin. He took more than just your hand away from you, didn't he? That's why you want to kill him."

Hook looked back. "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?"

I smiled. "Smartest in the group, remember? I pick up on things. Now, let's go get this compass."

I watched Hook from my hiding place on top of the suit of armor. The plan was for him to bang a branch or something on a fallen shield and make a noise to lure the giant out, and then distract him so that I can throw the powder on him.

Hook picked up something long, which may or may not be a bone. "You ready?"

"Yes," I replied.

Hook walked to the shield and started banging the bone onto it rhythmically. The ground started to rumble as thunderous footsteps approached from inside the castle. I struggled to hold onto the suit of armor as it vibrated. Finally, a giant emerged from the castle, tall enough to nearly fill the enormous doorway, and much taller than the suit of armor. Well, this isn't terrifying at all.

"Hey!" Hook yelled, drawing the giant's attention. "You big git! Yeah, you. Huh? You wanna kill a human? Huh? You want to kill a human? I'm the worst human around. Come on!"

Hook ran around the giant's feet, getting to him to turn in my direction, which succeeded. The second that the giant was facing me, I threw the powder, hitting him directly in the face. The giant collapsed on the ground, causing a mini earthquake. I held onto the suit of armor's helmet for dear life, a small shriek escaping me.

"Hook?" I called. No answer. "Hook!" Oh, God, what if the giant fell on him? There'd be virtually no way to survive that.

He appeared next to the giant. "He's out cold."

I nodded, leaning against the giant helmet, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I don't mean to upset you, Mirana, but I think we make quite the team," Hook said.

On second thought, maybe I wish the giant had fallen on him… Although, he did kind of have a point.

"Shut up," I snapped. "Let's go steal a compass."

Hook and I walked through the halls of the enormous castle. Giant-sized treasure and armor littered the corridors, each big enough to fit a cottage under. The piles of things got bigger as we got close to the treasure room.

"They hoarded all of their greatest stolen treasures in here—piles of jewels, and every room filled with coins." Hook stopped and picked up a few coins.

"Hurry up," I snapped. "We're here for the compass… And nothing else."

"What's your rush?"

"How long do you think the poppy powder lasts?"

"I have no clue."

I rolled my eyes. "Neither do I, but I doubt we have all year for you to sniff the stolen giant gold. That, Captain, is my rush."

Hook pocketed the coin. "Too right, Lass. Come. Everything we need is right in front of us." He started down the hall again and I followed.

We reached the treasure room and were met with piles of gold and treasure, enough to feed a hundred kingdoms.

"All of this would be enough to feed so many people, and yet it's all just sitting here, in a giants' palace," I said, looking around. "I hate it. And how will we ever find a compass in this… golden ocean?"

"By looking," Hook pointed across the room. "Start searching. I wonder how much treasure we could carry down the beanstalk."

I gave him a look.

"In addition to the compass, of course," Hook added hastily.

"We're not taking anything but what we need," I snapped. "Besides, if I tried carrying anything down that overgrown weed, I'd fall to my death. I can barely climb it in the first place." I noticed a skeleton on the floor… A human sized skeleton. "What is that?"

"That… would be Jack," Hook replied.

"As in Jack—"

"The giant killer."

I glanced at the sword in the skeleton's hand. "With that?"

"Well, it packs quite a wallop. You'd be surprised."

Hook started backing up and I noticed a tripwire behind him.

"Wait!" I yelled.

I grabbed his jacket and pulled him back, unintentionally hugging him.

"It's about bloody time," Hook said, wrapping his arms around me.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him off me and to the side.

"Get off me," I snapped. I pointed to the wire. "It's a tripwire, you moron." I glanced to the ceiling where a giant cage hung, waiting to be triggered. "Quite the security system."

"Well, that's a plausible excuse for grabbing me, but next time, don't stand on ceremony." Hook pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear.

I smacked his hand away. "Let's just find the compass and go home. I don't want to spend any more time with you than absolutely necessary." I gestured to the rest of the room. "After you, Captain."

Hook stepped over the tripwire and walked off into the mess of treasure.

I took a deep breath. "Alright, calm down, Mirana. As long as you don't kill him, we're okay."

I stepped over the tripwire and followed him into the island of gold.

"So it's just… somewhere in here?" I said. "The compass."

"Allegedly," Hook replied.

"Give me a boost, would you, Love?"

I scowled. "Maybe, if you never call me that again." I walked over to him. "I'm not stupid. You just don't want me to see what you're pocketing. No. How about you give me a boost."

"Try something new, Darling—It's called trust."

"I would… if I was with anyone except you." I sighed. "Fine, we do it side by side, and quickly. Who know how long we have before the—"

Thundering footsteps sounded, approaching the treasure room.

"Someone's up," Hook said.

The footsteps got louder and gold started falling from the piles as the room shook.

Hook grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the back of the room. "Quickly. Get under something."

The shaking floor causing me to lose my balance and I let go of Hook's hand as I fell, landing on my back. My head whipped around as the angry giant stormed into the room and started running, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling, separating me from Hook, and I couldn't see him anymore. Is he did? What if he's dead? I mean, he's annoying, but— The angry giant running towards me snapped me out of my thoughts. I barely had time to stand before the giant picked me up, his hand big enough to hold my entire body.

"Put me down!" I screamed. "I'm not what you think!"

"You're a thief, and you poisoned me, so yeah, I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think," the giant replied angrily.

"Listen, you have a compass. I need it."

"I don't care what you need."

"No, it's for my friend. S-she has a son! She needs it to save her son!" I struggled to breathe in his tight grip. "Don't you have a family?"

"No! Because humans killed them all." That's when he started squeezing. I screamed as I felt my ribs started to crack and my vision started to blur.

No, this is not happening. I refuse to die by being squeezed to death by a giant. Thinking quickly and going with the first idea I thought of, I bit down on the giant's thumb as hard as I could. He yelled in pain and dropped me. I landed hard on the ground and scrambled to my feet, running for my life through the piles of gold. I could hear the giant running after me and the rumbling floor under my feet, but I kept going, jumping over the tripwire and grabbing Jack's fallen sword. Just before the giant could catch me, I cut the tripwire with the sword, causing the cage to fall on the giant.

"Excellent security system," I said, trying to ignore my violent shaking.

The giant was watching the sword worriedly.

"Judging by your expression, I'd say you know what this is. Let me guess—it's dipped in some kind of poison. Now, you have a compass. I need it."

"You're gonna kill me either way," the giant said.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you did just break most of my ribs."

"Go ahead. Kill me."

"You don't even know me."

"I know your kind. They massacred us and destroyed our beans."

"I've only heard it the other way around." As far as I can clearly remember, but still… That may be a bit of a lie.

"Because the victors get to tell the story."

I jabbed the sword at his eyeball.

"Okay! Stop." The giant fished around in his pocket. "Here."

He tossed the compass under the cage to me. I picked it up.

"See?" the giant asked. "I'm not the bad guy."

I watched him. "Maybe you aren't lying. It doesn't matter. I need to go. Are there any more of you?"

"No. I'm alone."

"Well, that makes two of us." I dropped the sword. But noticed a dried little bean at the edge of the cage, hanging from his necklace. "That is a bean. Can it make a portal?"

"Not anymore. It was destroyed, like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder—A reminder that you're all killers."

"I just put down the sword, didn't I? And you just tried to squeeze me to death, so I'd say that the only killer in this room is you. If humans are killers to you, then why would you stoop to our level? If you're going to hold a grudge, at least don't be a hypocrite."

I started walking away, but then I heard the giant yell and the cage exploded. I ducked for cover as pieces of wood flew over my head, before whirling around to face the giant. But instead of attacking, he simply grabbed a boulder from the wall and threw it behind him, revealing a hole in the wall, an exit.

"Go," the giant said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you could've kill me and you didn't. You get one favor. Now go before I change my mind."

I hesitated. "Actually… I get two favors."

"What?"

"Well, technically, I could've kill you twice—just now and when you were unconscious. But I didn't."

"What do you want?"

"I need you to move a few more boulders for me."

After the giant moved enough boulders for Hook to crawl out from under the rest, I took his hand and helped him out.

"You are bloody brilliant," Hook said. "Amazing. May I see it? The compass."

I lifted the chain off my neck and showed him the compass.

"It's more beautiful than legend," Hook said.

His hand moved slightly, like he was going to reach for it. I quickly slipped the chain back over my head.

Hook chuckled. "Come. Let's go."

I placed my right hand in Hook's… and then locked the shackle around his wrist with my left, chaining him there. I stood and backed up a few steps.

"What are you doing?" Hook asked.

"I'm sorry, Killian…" I replied. "…I really am, but… I can't—"

"Mirana, look at me. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is around your neck. Why do this to me now?"

I shook my head sadly, my entire body still shaking. "I-I-I can't take the chance that I'm wrong about you. I don't want to do this, but… I know my mother. You could be lying, she could be… controlling you, I… I can't take the chance…. I can't trust you. I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry? You're sorry?! I got you here! I got you the compass!"

"That's not true. I got the compass while you were trapped under the rocks."

"You just gonna leave me here to die? Have that beast to eat me, to crush my bones?"

"He's not a beast. He could've kill me too, but he didn't… And you're not going to die either. I only need a head start. That's all. I am sorry."

I started walking away, trying to make myself stop shaking.

Hook pulled at his chain. "Mirana. Mirana!"

I started running back across the room to the hole in the wall, doing my best to ignore Hook calling after me. I picked up Jack's sword as I went. It might come in handy sometime.

* * *

When I reached the bottom of the beanstalk and I was probably seven feet from the ground, I lost my balance and fell, landing hard on the ground with a thud. Emma appeared at my side and helped me up.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Two earthquakes and a jump from a beanstalk," I replied. "Plus, I'm ninety-eight percent sure that most of my ribs are broken…. Don't ask. In other words, I could be better, but I'm still alive."

"I did what she ordered," Mulan said to Snow. "Nothing more than that." She looked at me. "Did you get it."

I held up the compass hanging around my neck. "Yes."

"W-where's Hook?" Aurora asked.

"I… He's detained. We have to go. Get your things. We have ten hours before he starts following us."

"What? How?" Snow asked.

"I have a friend looking after him until then."

"You told her to cut it down?"

I chuckled nervously. "Um, yes. See, I couldn't risk—"

"No. We are going back together. And you are coming with us. You are one of us now. That is the only way. Do you understand?"

I sighed. "Yes, yes, alright."

"Good. Now let's go get that dust from Cora."

"Indeed."

* * *

 **Okay, guys, that is it for Chapter 3. I hope that you guys enjoyed it, leave a review and tell me what you thought, you know the drill. I'll update soon. Bye guys, - Lily**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I am back again with another chapter of Rattle the Stars, as you can see.**

 **Ali (Guest): I'm glad you like it and her.**

 **Guest: Thank you!**

 **Let's get started.**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

Why can we never just sleep without something happening? So far, it's been my mother, my mother again, then the beanstalk, and now it's Aurora yelling. My eyes flew open in time to see the princess bolt upright.

"Snow! Snow!" she yelled.

Snow ran over and knelt down next to her, Emma behind her. "Hey. I'm here. It's okay. It's okay. It's just another nightmare."

"No, this time, it was different. There was a little boy. He… He put out the fire. He talked to me."

"A little boy?"

"What'd he say?" Emma asked.

"He said… He said his name was Henry."

Okay, now I'm interested.

Emma pulled a picture of a dark-haired little boy out of her pocket and showed it to Aurora. "The boy you saw in your dream—is that him?"

"Yes. That's Henry," Aurora replied.

"That's impossible. It was a dream. How could you dream of my son?"

"I have no idea."

"If it was a dream," I said, standing.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, that room—I've been there," Snow said.

"When I told you about it, you didn't say anything," Aurora said.

"You were terrified. I didn't want to make things worse. By telling you I thought it might be real."

"A room in a dream is real?" Mulan asked.

"Kind of," I said. "When someone is under a sleeping curse, the soul visits a netherworld of sorts. But when they are awoken they still sometimes return there, in dreams. Both Snow and Aurora have been under a sleeping curse… Henry too, I think."

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Henry's been through it because I wouldn't believe him."

"Emma," Snow said, trying to comfort her.

"What else did you lie about?" Aurora demanded.

"I was—I wasn't lying. I was protecting you."

"Okay, not telling you something isn't the same thing as lying, Aurora, but you shouldn't have kept it from her, Snow," I said. "Withholding vital information isn't usually a good thing."

"What did he say—Henry—in the—in the dream?" Emma asked Aurora.

"He just said his name," Aurora replied. "And then I woke up, and it was over."

"Emma," Snow said. "It's going to be okay."

"We are so far from okay," Emma snapped.

"No. We have a way home now. We have a compass, and the wardrobe ashes are still with Cora."

"Any attempt to steal from her would be suicide," Mulan added.

I nodded. "That's certainly true."

Snow shook her head. "Not anymore. We can stop her."

"How?"

"I don't know, but I know someone who does—Rumplestiltskin. He'll know a way."

"Henry," Emma said. "We can talk to him. Now we can communicate."

"Wait. Wait," Aurora started.

Emma looked at her. "Oh, yeah, Princess, you're going back to sleep."

Aurora wasn't happy about it, but she did as she was told. She got her message across to Henry. Now it's daytime again and more walking… Great.

"How close are we?" Emma asked. "Henry could already be waiting in that netherworld."

"No, we planned to meet back there in two hours," Aurora replied.

"You're not going to leave him waiting," Snow said.

"Yeah, but what if he's—" Emma started.

"No, he was fine," Aurora cut her off.

"You certainly worry enough to be a mother, Emma," I commented.

Snow pointed to the left. "There. That looks like relatively safe high ground. We'll set up camp there. Aurora, you'll go in and find Henry, get the information we need from Rumplestiltskin. We do this fast, in and out. It's still dangerous out here."

"We're on our way to go steal ashes from my mother," I said. "If we're talking about danger, the forest is nothing compared to that."

* * *

We made camp and Aurora went right to sleep. I sat at the very edge of the makeshift tent and watched the green forest, twirling the compass chain around my finger. Then I heard branches rustling down the hill.

"What was that?" I asked.

The others must've heard it too, but it did nothing to affect the sleeping princess. For a moment, everything was quiet again, but then people started coming up the hill… No, not people exactly. They were dead, but… not dead, like… I don't know. I scrambled to my feet as they attacked, and readied Jack's sword. Mulan woke up Aurora and yanked her to her feet.

"Protect her," Mulan told me.

I didn't have time to reply before Mulan had to start fighting again. I hastily pushed Aurora behind me.

"Henry didn't get to finish," the princess said worriedly.

"I think we have other things to worry about right now," I replied.

One of the creatures appeared in front of me and I ducked his first punch, crossing under his arm and slashing his chest with my sword. He was bigger, but I was faster, and faster always wins. I swung my sword around and sliced the creature's head off, watching it roll down the hill for a split second before my legs were tripped out from under me. I landed on my stomach and turned over, just barely managing to grab my sword, pointing it upwards and spearing the creature in the stomach. I breathed a sigh of relief until I noticed that the compass was no longer around my neck. It was lying on the ground a few feet away, about to be picked up by a creature.

"The compass!" I yelled.

One of Snow's arrows sailed through the creature's neck, and it fell to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the compass before slipping it back around my neck.

"Mulan!" Emma yelled. "Mulan!"

I looked back toward the tent. Mulan was gone and so was Aurora.

"Where are they?" I said.

More creatures were arriving fast. They just kept coming.

"Guys, we've got to run for it!" Snow shouted.

Keeping a close hold on our weapons, the three of us took off running into the woods. We ran one in front of the other, in a line. Emma first, then Snow, and I was at the back.

"You still in one piece?" Emma asked Snow.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Snow replied.

"Mirana?"

"I'm fine," I called.

We finally stopped running and caught our breath. The bushes ahead started rustling and Snow drew her bow, but it was Mulan who appeared out of the bushes.

"They took her," Mulan said. "Aurora's gone."

"Mother," I muttered.

That's when a crow swooped into the clearing and landed on Snow shoulder, cawed a few times, and flew away.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"Cora," Snow replied. "We have until sundown to bring her the compass. If we don't, she'll kill Aurora."

I closed my hand around the compass that hung around my neck.

Mulan took a step towards me. "Give it to me."

I stepped back. "No."

"Hold on, Mulan. Just give us a minute to consider," Emma said.

"There's nothing to consider," Mulan snapped. "A compass is not worth Aurora's life."

"Maybe Aurora's life isn't worth my mother being unleashed onto Storybrooke and my sister," I pointed out.

"We need a plan to get back Aurora and keep the compass," Snow interrupted.

"My vow to Phillip was to protect Aurora," Mulan said. "That promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done."

Mulan made a grab for the compass and I darted across the clearing.

"Not happening," I said. "I went through way too much to get this. I climbed a beanstalk, I was almost squeezed to death by an angry giant, I chained an annoying pirate to the floor of a castle. Did you do any of that? No, so you do not get to decide what happens to it. And no offense, but your promise to Phillip isn't really our problem, so we're certainly not going to give it to you so you can keep your promise to this mysterious man you were obviously in love with."

Mulan's eyes turned hard. "Give it to me."

Snow stepped between us. "Mulan. Mulan. Give us a few hours, please. If we haven't defeated Cora by then, you can have the compass."

"Snow!" I said.

Mulan ignored me. "You can't hope to defeat her. We no longer have access to the Dark One's assistance."

"Yes, we do," Snow replied.

"How? Aurora's gone."

That's when I realized what Snow meant. "Aurora isn't the only one who's been under a sleeping curse."

Snow nodded. "Exactly. I can go back to that netherworld."

Mulan shook her head. "The door to that place is closed. You said it yourself."

"There may be a way— A way for me to go back into a deep slumber, one that can let me access it again."

"Another sleeping curse?" Emma asked.

"No. No not another curse. I don't need one. I've been under already. I need to go into a sleep where my natural defenses slip away, where my mind stops protecting me."

"How?"

Snow looked at Mulan. "Your sleeping powder—If I inhale it, I will fall into a deep enough sleep that I should be able to do this."

"I used the last of it on the giant." Mulan shot me a pointed glare.

"Then make some more."

"The poppy plant is extremely rare in this kingdom, but I know of a place that may grow some more. It's a bit of a journey from here."

"Can we make it by sundown?"

Mulan nodded. "We have to hurry."

* * *

We started walking again. I stayed near the back of the group with Emma, not fully trusting that Mulan want try to grab the compass and run. I understand that she cares about Aurora, but Cora being loose on Storybrooke and everyone in it, is not worth saving one life.

The underbrush got thicker as we went, crossing into a different part of the forest.

"Once we crest this ridge, we'll be near the Woods of the Dead," Mulan said. "The last poppies in this realm have taken seed there."

"Well, that name isn't worrisome at all," I commented, tripping over a plant.

Emma glanced at Snow. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Snow replied.

"Hey. Wait. Wait. No. No. No. You look nervous."

I decided to leave them alone, I sped up a little and caught up with Mulan up ahead.

"What did you mean when you said I was probably in love with Phillip?" Mulan asked suddenly.

I glanced at her, surprised. "What?"

"You heard me."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm right, aren't I? You loved him, and that's why you're so intent on protecting Aurora. Because he loved her, right? It's a classic story of unrequited love."

She stayed silent for a minute. "Just don't say anything to Aurora, alright?"

"Of course."

We found the poppy flower and Mulan started crushing the seeds with her dagger to make powder.

"The powder's almost ready," she said.

"How long will the effects last?" Snow asked.

"It's difficult to say. Maybe an hour or much less."

"Well, I shouldn't need much time as long as Henry's in there when I am."

"I'll be right here," Emma told her. "Say hi to my son for me."

Snow nodded to Mulan, who walked over with the powder and blew it at Snow, who inhaled it and fell asleep.

"Well, it appears we have some waiting to do," I commented, resting my head on my hand.

"That we do," Emma replied. "You know, you've been with us for a while, but I really don't know anything about you. Care to share?"

"Uh, well… There's not all that much to tell. As the youngest, it was easier for me to stay out of my mother's gaze. She was always focused on… grooming my sister to be queen. I was alone a lot, usually in the library, which I liked. My sister never wanted to use magic, not in the beginning—She didn't want to be anything like our mother, but I suppose she got desperate. Anyway, when my sister sent my mother through the Looking Glass to Wonderland, I pot pulled along with, by accident. I was only eleven at the time, so I was stuck in my mother's court for a while, after she became the Queen of Hearts. When I was sixteen, I met—I-I left and ran off to Marmoreal. Eventually, I became the queen, or the "White Queen" as the people called me."

"And Cora didn't even care when you left her court in Wonderland?"

I laughed bitterly. "Not exactly. In a way, Regina and I were not much more than chess pieces to my mother, but she'd already lost one of us, and she was not keen to lose another. Well, not when I had something of value to her. You know Jefferson, don't you?"

"We've met."

"Right, well Regina had hired him to get her to Wonderland and back, so that she could rescue our father from Cora—Long story—Anyway, Jefferson ended up getting left in Wonderland, I don't know why. But he didn't have his hat anymore, so Mother set him to work trying to make a new one. It was at this point that I'd started looking for ways to get back here. Jefferson couldn't help me without his hat, but he suggested that I see if I can find a bean. It wasn't until I was already in Marmoreal that I finally could have one found. That's a long story on its own.

"I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. And it was better than how Regina had it, Mother breathing down her neck all the time. You really can't be so hard on her… She has reasons to be how she is."

Emma didn't reply, she just stared at me for a while. The three of us sat in silence for a long time until Mulan decided to leave. I don't know what she went to go do. I wasn't really paying attention. I kept turned the compass over in my hands. Eventually, I set it down on the ground beside me and drifted back into thoughts. After a while, Snow's eyes finally opened.

"Hey," Emma said. "Hey. You okay?"

Instead of answering, Snow jumped to her feet and started looking around for something, I don't know what.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm looking for more powder," Snow replied.

"I'm pretty sure we're out of that," Emma told her. "What happened?"

"No. I have to go back in. He's all alone."

"Henry? Is he okay?"

"What? No. David. He went under a sleeping spell so he could see me. He thought that my kiss would wake him, but it didn't, and now he's trapped."

"Who's David?" I asked.

Emma ignored me, focused on Snow. "Okay, slow down. David is trapped in there?"

"I have to get back. There's only one way to help him."

"True love's kiss."

"Yes, but it won't work in there. We have to get back. If we don't—"

"We will."

"Now you're so sure?"

"Yes. You told me to have faith, and now I'm telling you. We will make it back. Okay?"

I stood up. "Alright, big picture here, people. I don't mean to be insensitive, but we are on a bit of a time limit. Did you get the information from… David, Snow?"

Snow nodded. "It's Rumplestiltskin. He said the key to stopping her is in his jail cell."

"Okay," Emma said. "Then let's go get it. Come on. Get your stuff."

Snow went to pick up her bow and arrows while I knelt back down to where I was sitting to get the compass… But it wasn't there. It wasn't anywhere around either, it was just gone.

"No," I said, panicking. "No, no, no, no, no."

"What?" Snow asked.

"The compass is gone…" I glanced at Emma. "And so is Mulan."

"What?" Emma said. "You were wearing it… How did she get it?"

"I-I set it down for a minute. How could I be so stupid? I knew we couldn't trust her!" I slammed the palm of my hand against the ground in anger, and a tremor went through the ground and a nearby tree fell over, roots and all.

"What the—Did you do that?" Emma asked, alarmed.

I stared at the tree, trying to calm myself down. "Of course, not… That's impossible." I stood up. "There's three of us and one of her… I'd bet that we can still catch Mulan."

Snow nodded. "She's right. We should get going."

It didn't take us long to find Mulan. Even running, she hadn't gotten that far in the dense forest. Snow fired an arrow, which imbedded itself into a tree, not far from Mulan's head.

"That was a warning shot." Snow stepped into the clearing. Emma and I followed. "Try to run, and I promise the next one won't be."

"How did you find me?" Mulan asked.

"All we want is the compass," I said.

"Very well."

Mulan turned around slowly and started to unsheathe her sword. Snow ran forward and tackled her to the ground.

"Give me the compass," Snow hissed.

"And seal Aurora's fate?" Mulan replied.

"We learned how to overpower Cora. Once we get what we need, we will defeat her, and Aurora will be free."

"Another journey—just as I predicted there would be. Our best chance to save Aurora is to make that trade now."

"Not going to happen," I snapped. "Without that compass, we have nothing."

"Then I hope you're prepared to use that arrow."

Before any of us could say or do anything, Aurora ran into the clearing.

"No!" she yelled.

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell did you get here?" Emma asked.

"Yes, that's impossible," I added.

"Let Mulan go," Aurora said. She walked to Snow. "I said, let her go."

Snow stood up and stepped away from Mulan.

Mulan stood up and faced Aurora. "Were you followed?"

Aurora shook her head. "I-I don't think so. Cora may know I'm gone, but she didn't see me escape."

"And how exactly did you escape?" I asked.

Aurora faced me. "It was Hook. He let me go."

I frowned. "What? Why would he do that?"

"Because of you."

"Excuse me?"

"He said he wanted to prove to you that you should've trusted him, that if you had trusted him… you could've defeated Cora together. That the two of you could've gotten the remains of the wardrobe. Without him, you'll have to go up against her all by yourself. He only wants to help. I… I think he may care for you."

I narrowed my eyes. Something doesn't add up, especially that last part. "Yes, well, I know my mother, and I stand by my decision. Anyone who's been in close proximity to my mother cannot be trusted… He has a talent for taking hearts. And as far as I'm concerned, that includes you, Aurora." I turned to Mulan. "You have your princess back, now give me my compass."

Mulan hesitated, but pulled the compass out of her pocket and handed it over. I took it and hung it around my neck again.

"Did you find a way to stop Cora?" Aurora asked.

Emma nodded. "Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"Rumplestiltskin's cell."

"Great. Then lead the way."

I trailed behind as we started walking again. Something really isn't right here. Maybe Mother has Aurora's heart, maybe she doesn't, but something is definitely going on. This is not going to end well.

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 **Alright, guys, that is it for Chapter 4. I hope that you guys enjoyed it, and be sure to leave a review and tell me what you thought. And just so you guys know, this story is also posted on Quotev by me, so if you see it there, it's not copied. I'll be back with another update soon. Bye guys, - Lily**


	5. Chapter 5

Mirana's POV:

After another day of walking, we finally reached the caves where Rumplestiltskin's cell is. It looked fairly empty, so where is this squid ink, then?

"Huh. Rumplestiltskin's cell," Snow said. "I haven't been here since before Regina's curse." She looked at Emma. "This is where he told us you were going to be the savior."

"He knew?" Emma asked.

"Oh, it was prophesized. Come on."

We walked forward and into the actual cage.

"The squid ink—It's not here," Aurora said.

"Gold said we would find it," Snow replied.

"Well, was there anyone else in here with him?" Mulan asked.

"Could they have taken the ink?" Aurora added.

"No, he was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact."

"Well, that obviously wasn't true, if you and your husband were allowed to see him before Emma was born," I pointed out.

"That was a special case."

"How'd he keep from going crazy?" Emma asked.

"He didn't," Aurora said. She was reading from a roll of paper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Is that a message?" Emma said.

"Yes," Aurora replied. "And I think it's for you."

"Why would you think…" Emma trailed off when she saw the paper.

The scroll had Emma's name written on it over and over again.

Emma took the scroll and sat down, staring at it. "What does this even mean?"

"He was obsessed with you, Emma," Snow replied. "You were the key to breaking the curse."

"We've looked everywhere. There's no ink in this cell," Aurora said.

"Well, it has to be. He told David."

"You were in a netherworld," Emma pointed out. "Maybe something got lost in translation."

"No." Mulan pulled a small jar out of the wall. "She heard right."

"You found it?" I asked.

"In a manner of speaking, there was ink in the cell." She held up that jar, which was empty… Great.

"Son of a bitch," Emma muttered.

Without warning, Aurora turned and threw a rock, hitting the lever and causing the cage door to fall down, locking us in.

"Aurora, what are you doing?!" Snow yelled.

Emma and I ran to the bars, and saw Cora standing there, along with Hook, who was leaning against the wall.

"Helping me," Cora said.

Cora stepped out of the shadows and waved her hand. I vanished for a moment into a puff of smoke and then reappeared outside the cell, next to Cora, now unable to move.

"Mother, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Why would I go through all this trouble to get to one daughter, only to leave the other behind, silly girl?" Cora replied. "We're going to Storybrooke. And you're coming with us."

"No." Emma shook the bars, trying in vain to get them to move.

"Don't waste your energy, dear," Cora told her. "Rumplestiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you."

Emma rounded on Aurora. "Why would you do this? How could you?"

"Don't blame her, Emma," I said. "It's not her fault." I looked at Cora. "You gave yourself away, you know. 'I think he may care for you'? Please." I glared at Hook. "I might've believed I'd made a mistake until she said that. Now, I wish I'd let the giant kill you."

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked.

"She means Aurora was only doing what she was told." Cora held up Aurora's heart.

"You took her heart?"

"Actually, I did," Hook said. "It was a gift."

Cora squeezed the heart and Aurora hunched over in pain.

"Forgive us," Cora said. "We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits."

Cora waved her hand again and vines appeared from nowhere and wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground. I remember when she did this to Regina many years ago. I floated after Cora as she walked away. I eyed the pirate that walked beside me.

"Don't do this," I said. "Emma has a son back in Storybrooke. He needs her."

"Maybe you should've thought of that before you abandoned me on that beanstalk," Hook replied.

"Oh, yes, well, I was right, wasn't I? You did stab us in the back, didn't you? And you would've done the exact same thing."

"Actually, no. Do you know what this is, Princess?" Hook held a necklace in front of my face.

"It's the bean that the giant kept… So what?"

"Yes, indeed. A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquest, but this… Well, this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol—something that was once magical, full of hope, possibility. Now look at it. Dried up, dead, useless. Much like you. The time for making deals is done, just as I'm done… with you."

"When you finally get to Storybrooke after all this time of waiting for your revenge, I'm going to laugh when Rumplestiltskin kills you with one thought."

"We'll see about that."

"If you two are going to bicker that entire time, it's better you don't speak at all," Cora snapped.

Hook and I glared at each other. Cora waved her hand and we disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, appearing next to a dried-up pond. Cora waved her hand and it filled with water again, bubbling like a geyser before settling.

"And now the ashes." Cora faced Hook. "Would you care to do the honors?"

Hook took the ashes and poured them into the pond. The water swirled down into a tunnel and started to glow.

"Here we go," Cora said. "We'll be in Storybrooke soon enough. I really look forward to seeing my daughter."

"Speaking of which, are you going to let your other daughter down at some point?" I struggled against the vines. "I can't breathe."

Cora turned to me. "You're right. You can't go through the portal like that. Besides…" She took the compass from around my neck. "We'll be needing this." She waved her hand and the vines disappeared, causing me to drop to the ground. "I trust you know that it would be pointless to run. We'll be seeing your sister soon."

"Wonderful," I growled through my teeth, getting to my feet.

"Come." Cora turned to Hook and held up the compass. "I told you I'd deliver you to Rumplestiltskin."

Hook placed his hand on the compass and Cora grabbed mine with hers and placed it on the compass as well.

"Now don't let go, unless you want to end up someplace that isn't Storybrooke."

Maybe I should let go, then. Just before we jumped into the portal, an arrow flew past and knocked the compass from our hands. It landed a few feet behind us in the sand. I looked across the pond and saw Snow, Emma, and Mulan. Emma also had Jack's sword. I'm glad I didn't lose that.

"You're not going anywhere! This portal's taking us home!" Emma yelled.

Snow nodded to me and then looked at Emma. "The compass—get it."

"Find it first. I'll take care of them," Cora told Hook.

I looked at Emma, who had made her way around the pond. "Emma, the sword! I'll handle this!"

Emma tossed me the sword and I swung it at Hook, who blocked it with his own. We fought for a minute before he knocked Jack's sword out of my hand. I made a break for the compass, but Hook grabbed my cloak and dragged me back. I twisted around in time to see the bag with Aurora's heart almost fly into the portal, only to be caught by Hook. While he was distracted, I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Jack's sword.

Hook tossed Aurora's heart to Mulan. "I may be a pirate, but I bristle at the thought of a woman losing her heart, unless it's over me."

Mulan looked at me and I nodded, telling her to go. I faced Hook, pointing Jack's sword at him, threateningly.

"I had no idea you had such a soft side," I said tauntingly.

"I don't," Hook replied. "I just like a fair fight."

We continued our sword battle. Hook pressed his sword against mine, so we were face-to-face.

"Good form," he said. He kicked my legs out from under me. "But not good enough."

I fell backwards, landing in the sand. Hook caught my sword between his sword and his hook, sliding down and leaning over me.

"Normally, I prefer to do other more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back," Hook said. "With my life on the line, you've left me no choice

I glared at him in disgust. "Why didn't I kill you when I had the chance? I'd give anything to go back and push you off that beanstalk."

"A bit of advice? When I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it. You might want to quit."

Whilst he was talking, I felt underneath my back and grabbed the compass.

I looked up at Hook and smiled. "But why would I do that when I'm winning? And for the record, you're not half as attractive as you think you are."

With that, I hit him in the side of the head with the compass as hard as I could. Hook crumpled away from me and onto the ground, unconscious. I stood up in time to see Cora blast Emma and Snow back before walking over to Snow.

"Why do you want to go to Storybrooke?" Snow asked.

"Because my daughter needs me," Cora replied. "And now I'm going to give her the one thing she's always wanted—your heart."

Just before Cora could rip out Snow's heart, Emma jumped in front of her, and Cora's hand plunged into Emma's chest instead.

"Oh, you foolish girl," Cora said. "Don't you know? Love is weakness."

Cora tried to pull out Emma's heart, but it refused to leave her chest.

Emma shook her head. "No. It's strength."

White light glowed from Emma and Cora flew backwards, unconscious.

I ran over to Emma. "Whatever you just did, you have got to teach me how to do that."

"What was that?" Emma asked.

"That is a great subject for discussion… when we get home," Snow replied.

We ran to the portal and I held up the compass, which sat on my palm. They each place a hand on it.

"You ready?" Snow asked.

"Yeah," Emma replied.

I nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

We jumped into the portal. All I could see was water and rushing colors, and then we appeared in a well and climbed out. In front of us, stood Emma's son, Henry, Regina, who was leaning against a tree, and an older man who stood off to the side. I think that's Rumplestiltskin.

Henry ran to Emma and hugged her. "Mom!"

"Henry!" She hugged him back tightly. "Oh, I missed you!"

"I missed you, too."

Snow wrapped her arms around the both of them and joined the hug.

I turned to my sister. "Hello, Regina… It's been a long time."

Regina looked at me and her eyes widened. "Mirana."

I smiled and stepped forward, hugging her. She hugged me back tightly and then pulled away and held me at arm's length.

"Look at you, you're so… grown up," she said.

"Well, you haven't seen me since I was eleven," I pointed out.

Regina chuckled and hugged me again.

"What's going on?" Snow asked. "What happened?"

Regina pulled away and we looked toward the others.

"She saved you. She saved all of you," Henry said.

"Thank you," Emma said.

"You're welcome," Regina replied.

A young woman ran forward, her dark hair bouncing as she ran to Snow. "Are you okay?"

She hugged Snow, surprising her slightly.

Snow pulled away. "Where's my husband? I need to find him."

The woman nodded and then she and Snow ran off. Emma and Henry walked over to Regina and me.

"Um, your mom—" Emma started. "She's, uh… She's… A piece of work, you know?"

Regina nodded. "Indeed I do. Welcome back."

"Thanks."

Regina grabbed my hand and we walked away.

"So, now what?" I asked.

"Now we're going to go home, get you some dry clothes, and you are going to tell me everything that's happened in between now and when you went to Wonderland."

"That will take a while." I glanced down at my soaking-wet dress.

"We've got time."

We walked out of the woods and I frowned at the large metal thing in front of me.

"What on Earth is that?" I asked.

Regina chuckled. "That's a car. It's like a carriage, but… no horses. It's gonna take you a while to get used to this world."

"Yes, I'm getting that feeling."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! So, it has been a little bit of a while since I've last updated and I'm sorry about that, but I've been working on other things and I just didn't have time. Honestly, I don't think this chapter is one of my best. I mean, it's just a little all over the place because I'm trying to figure out the details of what I'm doing with Mirana's magic. Just give me a few chapters and it'll smooth itself out. Oh! Also, I've had another idea for a pairing option. Guys, what would you think about Merlin? Think about it. We have Mirana, who has countless issues with magic, and then we'd have Merlin, who is, you know, the greatest sorcerer of all time. Now, to do this pairing, I'd obviously have to mess with Merlin's storyline a little, which I was thinking about doing anyway. I never liked the way he was killed off... I miss him. Anyway, tell me what you guys think in the reviews. I hope you guys like this idea, because I really do.**

 **Ali: The wait is over :)**

 **Alice: Well, I'm really glad that you like my story and my OC. Thank you for telling me your views on the pairing options. Please let me know what you think of the new option that I stated earlier. As for your Maleficent idea, the thing is that I have a pretty big story-arc planned for Mirana in the season with Maleficent and Cruella and Ursula, and I actually have a kind of mother-daughter relationship planned for Maleficent and Mirana. So, they will be together, just not romantically. It was a good idea, though :)**

 **Guest: Well, my chapters are on average 2,000 to 4,000 words and I usually go episode by episode, so there's really not a way for me to make my chapters longer. Sorry.**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

I brushed my dark curls behind me as I watched Regina sprinkle cheese over the dish she was making. What did she call it…? Lasagna, that's it. I've been in Storybrooke for a week and I'm still struggling with all of the technologies and things of this world. Don't even get me started on how long it took Regina to explain what on Earth a microwave is… I still don't trust that thing.

Anyway, the reason she's cooking is because their having a party at Granny's to celebrate Snow and Emma's homecoming and Emma invited Regina and me. I'd declined to go, but Regina was going so that she could see Henry.

"I really think you should go," Regina said for the eighth time.

"For the eighth time, Regina, I have no reason to go. I don't like parties, I don't like crowds, and it's not like I have a son to go see," I replied.

"No, but you do have a nephew that you haven't really met."

I gave her a small smile. "Another time, Regina."

"Fine." Regina took off her apron and pulled on her coat. "I need to get going, then."

"See you later."

Regina took her lasagna and left, leaving me alone.

After a while, I got bored and decided to explore the town, which was empty at this time of night. As I walked through the park, I was stopped be an all-too familiar voice behind me.

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

I spun around to face Cora, who was standing behind me, smiling.

"Hello, dear," she said.

I backed up and shook my head. "That's impossible… How are you here?" Then it hit me. "The pirate… he had the bean… of course."

Cora smiled. "Indeed."

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing, dear. But I'm here to help my daughters… And that's what I'm going to do."

"Oh, really? Have you spoken to Regina, then?"

"No. No, I can't do that yet."

"Because you know she'd never want to see you."

"That remains to be seen." Cora took a step closer. "I'd rather you didn't tell our sister that I'm here, at least not yet."

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you going to do to me if I don't do what you say? Leave Regina alone, Mother, you've done enough to her already."

Cora chuckled. "Oh, nothing, dear. But it would be in your best interest to listen. I'm only trying to help you and Regina. I'll see you soon, sweetheart."

With that, she vanished. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. But still, I felt anger bubbling in my stomach, not to mention fear. How could I have been so stupid? The bean? Why didn't I remember that? I practically sprinted back to Regina's house, up the stairs, and into my room before slamming the door shut. The anger in my stomach had intensified, almost more than necessary and I didn't even know why. Anger at myself, at my mother, anger at that stupid pirate.

I slammed my hand against the door in anger before crossing the room, picking a pile of books of off the desk and threw it to the other side of the room. Okay, I need to calm down. I leaned against the desk and ran a hand threw my hair, trying to breath. Why am I getting so worked up about this? It's not like this is the worst thing Mother has ever done… Not even close. I mean, why—I was snapped out of my thoughts when something hot touched my hand and I yanked it back, whirling around. All of the papers on my desk and now the desk itself had set on fire and was spreading to the bookshelves next to it.

"What the…" I trailed off.

How is that even possible? That's not possible. There was nothing on that desk that could start a fire. Did I… No. No, I couldn't have, that's not—that's not an option… I thought it was gone.

I backed up until my back hit the door. A few of the flaming papers had dropped to the floor, causing the carpet to start catching on fire as well. I reached for the door handle, but it turned red-hot under my touch and I jumped back. I was now pinned between the flaming desk and the red-hot door handle. The flames behind me licked at the back of my hand and I shrieked in pain, stepping back. I don't know if Regina is even on her way home yet and the flames are blocking the window. I did not climb a beanstalk just to burn to death. I did not survive being raised by my mother for this. There has to be something—The curtains are on fire… Oh, joy.

I sank down the door and to the floor. Alright, we've been through this before. I know I can control this… Probably. It shouldn't be working on its own like this—It can't work on its own like this. Concentrate, Mirana. My ears started to buzz like voices whispering in my head. Oh, no, not again, not now. I pressed my fists to my temples and shut my eyes.

"Go away, go away, go away," I whispered.

The whispers got louder and a pressure started to build in my head. Not knowing what to do, I repeated my chant over and over again—And then everything stopped. The whispers, the pressure, even the crackling flames. Slowly, I lowered my hands and opened my eyes. The flames were gone, like they were never there. The carpet looked untouched, but the half-burned papers were scattered everywhere, and the half-scorched curtains hung limply against the window. I glanced above my head. The doorknob had returned to its usual color. Slowly, with a shaking hand, I reached up and lightly touched it. It was cool to the touch, as if nothing had happened.

I took a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair, only to jerk it back in pain. I looked down at my right hand. There was a large burn across the palm… Wonderful. No matter. It's nothing compared to what could have happened… Why did this happen? Why did—and the voices… I can't do this again. Why won't they go away? They were…. They were never truly gone, were they? Just waiting… for something. Only God knows what, though.

I looked ahead of me to the mess of burned papers. It doesn't matter. I can't worry about the voices now… I have to clean this up before Regina gets home. I looked up. Right, the curtains as well.

The next day, Regina and I went for a walk by the docks while she told me everything that happened with Emma and the party last night. I was quite distracted, but I caught enough. I don't agree with Emma's descision from what I'm hearing from Regina, but I don't want to make a full judgment without hearing Emma's side first. Especially because I've only just got here and I don't know the full story or anything that's happened with this whole thing, thus far.

"Are you even listening?" Regina asked.

I glanced at her. "What? Yes, of course."

"No, something's distracting you. What's wrong?"

"Uh—"

"Beautiful day, isn't it, Regina?"

I glanced ahead of me at the sound of a man's voice. He wore glasses, a hat, which covered his hair, and carried an umbrella. He also had a dog on a leash beside him. The three of us stopped walking as we crossed paths.

"Why should I answer you, Bug?" Regina snapped.

Oh, joy. Someone else my sister doesn't like.

"Because I'm making friendly conversation?" the man suggested.

"That you'll just repeat to anyone with an ear. You told Ms. Swan about our sessions."

Oh, so this is Dr. Hopper. The one who told Emma about Regina going to see him. Alright, I'm caught up now, I think.

Dr. Hopper sighed. "I was simply trying to help you."

"By betraying my trust?" Regina replied.

"I-I mentioned only that you had come to see me as an example of your commitment to change."

"I came to you in confidence. How am I supposed to prove to people I've changed when you're there to chirp in their ears and remind them of my past?"

"I said nothing specific. I would never betray the doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Doctor? Need I remind you got your PhD from a curse?"

Snow's friend, who I saw when we first arrived and had since leaned was named Red, appeared from the side. "Hey. Is everything okay here?"

"Private conversation. Go take yourself for a walk," Regina snapped.

I pursed my lips as Red ran off. Yes, she shouldn't have interrupted a private conversation, but Regina didn't need to be that mean. It was highly unnecessary, but I've come to expect that from her sometimes.

"I can be trusted," Dr. Hopper said. "I assure you."

"You're lucky I've changed," Regina replied.

With that, she walked away. I followed her with just one glance back at the doctor. Again, I don't want to make a judgement on this situation without knowing the full story, which I don't. That being said, I don't like it when people share other people's secrets.

Not long after Regina and I went our separate ways, I continued my walk around the town, hoping I don't run into Cora again. I couldn't bring myself to go back to the house… Not when I was hearing the whispers again. It wasn't like it was last night, not even close. It was more like a faint whispering in the back of my head, instead of an entire crowd of people hissing in my brain. The voices never said real words, just incoherent whispering. I don't know why, I never have.

I ducked into an alley and leaned against the wall, trying to breath. I rubbed my index fingers against my temples, hoping the voices wouldn't get louder. When the voices get louder, the headaches start. And that's only when I'm not overly-emotional… When that happens… Never mind.

They faded away after a while, at least for now. I slowly walked out of the alley, staring at the ground, thinking. Why are they coming back now? In Wonderland, they were terrible, but when I went back to the Enchanted Forest, they died down for a while. I've no idea why. I don't even know what they are. They started when I was around twelve. I never told anyone, I just did my best to deal with them myself. Not even Regina knows… The only one who does is—

That's about the time I slammed straight into someone else walking… And fell flat on my back…. Typical.

"Sorry," I said. "That was my fault."

I pulled myself up on my elbows and looked up.

"No, it was my fault," the man said. Recognition flashed on his face and his eyes lit up. "Mirana?"

That's when I realized who he was and I smiled. "Jefferson!"

The Mad Hatter pulled me to my feet and hugged me. I hugged him back tightly before pulling away.

"You're here," I said. "Oh, it's good to see a familiar face."

Jefferson smiled. "How did you get here? I thought you missed the curse."

"I did. I got stuck in the Enchanted Forest the whole time. I only got back because I met up with Snow and Emma… After they got taken through your hat." I stepped back and crossed my arms, still smiling. "Mind telling me how that happened?"

Jefferson grimaced. "That's a bit of a story."

I raised my eyebrows . "I think I've got time… You're my only friend."

Alright, this is getting ridiculous. Apparently, someone went to Dr. Hopper's office last night and killed him, which is awful, of course. The ridiculous part comes when Emma and the rest of them seem to think that it was Regina, who killed him. I'm not saying it's ludicrous to think that Regina killed someone, because… Well, you know. But I think she's really making an effort to change for her son. I don't think she did this. If you ask me… It was probably Cora. That would be my best guess, but I can't say that. Not just yet, anyway. I don't want to make Cora angry with me…. again. Still, I can't without a doubt say that she didn't kill him. I mean, I was with Jefferson until late last night. I've no idea what my sister was doing.

Never the less, I'm still standing outside of the interrogation room at the police station with Snow, while Emma and Charming talk to Regina. Snow clearly looked like she'd been crying. I have no idea what to say to her. All I knew of Dr. Hopper was his name. So, I simply stared in front of me, through the window to the interrogation room.

"Glad to see the sheriff station's now a family business," Regina said, once Emma and Charming entered the room. "Why am I here?"

"You know why you're here," Emma replied. "Because of Archie."

"Oh, it's now against the law to get into argument with someone?"

Charming leaned against the wall behind Emma. "It is if you go to their office later that night and kill them."

My sister's expression held only shock. "Archie's dead?"

"Stop it, Regina. Ruby saw you going into his office last night."

"Then she's lying. I was home all evening. After everything I've done to change, to win Henry back, why would I toss it all away now? And if I did and I was going to kill Archie, you would never know it. The fact that he's dead and you "caught" me shows sloppiness."

"You've been caught before," Charming pointed out. "Come on, Emma. Who do you think's lying—Ruby or her? She's incapable of change. No matter how many times we've given her the chance. Why should this time be any different?"

Now, that made me angry. Perhaps she didn't change before because she didn't have a real reason to. But she has Henry now. And saying things like that to her isn't helping anything.

I turned my head, eyes narrowed, as Emma and Charming exited the room and joined Snow and I outside.

"So what do we do with her now?" Snow asked.

"Lock her up," Charming replied.

I rounded on him. "What?"

"We can't lock her up because she didn't do it," Emma said from behind me.

I turned to her hopefully. Maybe someone else here does have an unbiased thought process.

"You really believe her?" Charming asked.

"I watched her when we told her Archie was dead," Emma replied. "She didn't know."

"Emma, I know that you want to believe that Regina can change for Henry, but—" Snow started.

"I know what I saw," Emma cut her off. "Look at her in there."

"I don't—"

"She's right," I finally spoke up. "If my sister was still who you are trying to make her out to be, she would've reduced this building to ashes and probably tried to kill you. And for the record…" I rounded on Emma's father. "Any other "chance" to change that you've given her, she had nothing to drive her. But now she has Henry. And if you people keep trying to convince her that she can't change, she doesn't stand a chance. I know my sister, and she wants to change… But she also wants everyone else to see it."

Emma nodded. "I know that look. I know her. I believe her."

Charming looked at his daughter. "With all due respect, you don't know her like we do." He glanced at me. "And you've been gone for years. You can't know everything she's done."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Emma beat me to it. "Maybe that's the problem. I know in your kingdom, she was the Evil Queen, but here, she's Regina. And I'm still the sheriff, and I say she's innocent until proven guilty."

I smiled at Emma. "Thank you."

"So… uh, what do you suggest we do?" Snow asked.

"Let her go."

"Emma, she—" Charming started.

"We let her go, and then we find the truth."

After my sister was released, I insisted on going with the Charmings to look through Archie's office.

Charming pulled a file out of the cabinet. "Huh. Regina's file—It's empty."

"She did it," Snow said. "She killed the kindest soul in this town, a man who only cared about helping."

"You don't know that!" I snapped. "None of you know that."

"I promise we'll find whoever really did this," Emma said.

"Isn't it time to admit we already have?" Charming asked. "Regina had a fight with Archie, Ruby saw her outside last night, and now her file is empty. That's… That's a lot of evidence."

"Maybe that's the point."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know how it is in fairy tale land, but in the real world, it's usually hard to find evidence. But this has been way too easy. Unless someone wants us to find evidence."

"So you think she was framed?" Snow asked.

I stayed quiet, leaning against the doorframe, struggling to keep calm. I know exactly who framed her, but I can't tell them, and now Regina might go down for it, and…. What does Cora want, anyway? What could she possibly get out of killing Dr. Hopper? Oh, no… Not now, please not now. Go away, go away, go away.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that happened in this town," Emma said.

"Who would want to frame her?" Charming said.

"That's a long list," Snow raised her hand, "present company included.

Not now, not here, please not here. I have to calm down before—

"Yeah," Emma replied. "But there's only one name on that list that would resort to killing to get what they want."

Go away, go away, go—I need to get out of here. Without a word, I turned from the room and ran. I could hear Emma calling after me, but I ignored her. If she ran after me, she didn't catch me. I ran down the stairs and out of the building, not slowing or stopping until I somehow ended up in the park and all-but collapsed on a bench.

Catching my breath, I pulled my knees up to my chest. The whispering had faded somewhere between the office and here, but I still heard bits of them in the back of my head. It was always like this when I got upset or scared. The voices and—and the fires… The fires. What happened two nights ago was nothing compared to what they used to be. Any hint of heightened emotion, and I risked setting my entire castle ablaze. It went quiet when I got back to the Enchanted Forest. I think it was because I had no one else around me, so my emotions were fairly natural, but now… Now I'm on the brink of losing my sister, wither its to the biased idiocy of the Charmings, or once again, to my mother, who's very presence seems to be enough to set it off. It's a miracle that it never went off when I was with Emma and Snow in the Enchanted Forest. Why it didn't? I don't know. But now…. I haven't the slightest idea what to do. I won't bother Jefferson, he's only just gotten his daughter back. I'm going to let him be happy. Regina doesn't know… Nobody does other than the Hatter. It's better that they don't. I can keep the fires down most of the time, as long as the voices don't get to me… That's the hard part.

My walk home was slow and steady, the voices fading completely on my way. Regina had given me a key a few days after I arrived, so I let myself in, not wanting to bother her.

My sister was sitting in the living room and looked up when I entered. "There you are. Have they found anything else?"

"Um… They it might be Rumplestiltskin now, but that's all I know. I, uh, left pretty quickly."

Regina frowned. "Are you alright? You look pale."

I blinked several times. "I'm fine."

Before she could ask any more questions, there was a knock at the door. I followed my sister to the door and stood behind her as she opened it. Who could be on the other side but the Charmings?

"Ms. Swan," Regina said. "I assume you're here to apologize."

"I saw you do it," Emma replied.

"What?" Regina and I asked at the same time.

"I saw it. You choked the life out of Archie."

"What are you talking about? How is that even possible?"

"Magic," Charming spoke up.

"You—" Regina began.

"I saw what happened," Emma cut her off, "and it was you."

"Gold. He helped you. You're going to trust him, of all people, when he's probably the one behind this?"

Snow shook her head. "We didn't trust him. That's why Emma used magic instead."

Regina looked at Emma again. "You can use magic. The Savior. Of course. Well, I can only assume he warned you, then."

"About what?" Emma asked.

"That magic always comes with a price," I replied, arms crossed.

"Yeah? Well, that's a price we're both gonna pay."

Her sentence was in response to mine, but more directed at Regina.

"How's that?" Regina asked.

"Henry," Emma said. "He believed in you. His heart's gonna break. That's both our prices."

"No. I will not let you poison Henry against me."

"It's an interesting word choice, since you already did."

Emma started walking away, but Regina followed her. "I want to see him. He deserves to hear my side of the story! He's my son!"

Emma whirled around. "He's not! He's mine! And after this, you're not getting anywhere near him. Do it!"

That's when a woman in blue stepped out of the bushes and aimed some sort of blue magic at Regina, who caught in her hand and crushed it easily.

My sister turned to the Charmings. "Did you really think that would work again?" She turned to Emma. "You…You will not keep my son from me."

She threw her hands out and Emma went flying down the walkway, landing hard on the ground. Her mother ran to her and helped her up. I was still frozen in the doorway, not completely sure of what to do. I was afraid that if I got involved, I'd get more upset, and if I got more upset…. Well, you already know.

Regina walked to over to Emma as well. "Maybe some of your newfound magic can save you now."

"I don't need it," Emma replied. "I already won. There is no way Henry will swallow your lies about Archie now." Regina started walking back to the house, but now it was Emma that followed her. "You can pretend all you want, but we know who you are and who you all always be."

Alright, that's it. I ran from the doorway, pushed Charming and the woman in blue out of my way, and stopped between the two, facing Emma.

"That's enough. You don't get to come here and tell my sister who she is, based on the word of—What? Rumplestiltskin? Wake up, Princess. In case you haven't noticed, this is a town filled with magic and magical people. There are a number of different scenarios that could've happened, but you want to blame Regina because she's the easy option. Because you can paint her as the villain and you and your little family can be happy as the heroes. You know, I'd hoped you'd be the exception, but it seems that you've inherited that high, high horse that your mother likes to carry herself with. At least you get to have your family, you get your happy ending. You've met my mother, you know what she's like, so you understand me when I say that my sister is all that I have. Deep down, Emma, you know that she didn't do this. And if you're letting yourself fall for whatever trap is almost certainly being set…" I glanced at Emma's parents. "Well, let's just say you're as stupid as your parents."

I turned back to my sister and as if on que, she waved her hands and we disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! We are back with another chapter of Rattle the Stars, as you can see. I honestly didn't know if I was going to have enough to make a full chapter out of this episode, because Regina isn't in it that much, but it all worked out okay.**

 **xwolvie: Yeah, Mirana was having a bit of a hard time last chapter, that's why she was acting a little different. I'm glad you liked that end part, though. That was really fun to write. There's no way she would've let Emma talk to her sister like that without saying something.**

 **CutieChante: No, she's not schizophrenic. Both things have a magical reason. As for a full explanation... Just keep reading :)**

 **Ali: Well, I'm really glad that you like Mirana so much, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. Yes, I'm looking forward to the Maleficent arc as well, although it'll be a little while before we get there.**

 **Alice: I'm really glad that you liked the chapter! I have a lot planned for the Mirana and Maleficent mother-daughter arc, so I look forward to getting there. I'm also really happy that you like my Merlin idea, because I really miss that character and he deserves a happy ending just like Mirana does. I think they'll make a good pairing. And yes, he will definitely be able to help her along the way, I just can't tell you exactly how yet :) Yeah, Mirana has many issues with magic, which is why she doesn't like to use it, unlike her sisters. As for the voices... Keep reading to find out more about that.**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

Alright, so it's been a few weeks and Regina and I have been hiding in the rooms that she has behind the mirror in her crypt… Yeah, she plans for everything, I suppose. I've just been waiting for something to happen, or for Cora to finally make her appearance, and that puts me on edge. And with being on edge comes the voices. No fires, not yet anyway, thank god, but I do hear the voices. For the most part, they're quiet enough that I can ignore them, however.

I heard a young boy's voice from outside. "Hello? Mom?"

I glanced at my sister, who had walked over to the mirror that doubled as the door. Regina waved her hand and the mirror cleared, revealing Henry standing on the other side.

"You in there?" Henry asked. "Can I come in? Mom?"

Regina hesitated and then opened the door. I stayed back where I was, leaning against the table behind Regina. I don't know about this… Something seems off. Henry walked inside and he and Regina hugged.

"Henry, I'm so glad you're here," Regina said. She let him go and stepped back, holding his hands. "I missed you so much when… I have to let you know I had nothing to do with Archie."

Henry nodded. "I know. I always knew."

"I was framed. I don't know how. I—it just seems like everything… You knew? How did you know?"

"Simple." Purple smoke swirled around Henry and he turned into Cora. "Because I did it."

"Mother."

I froze where I was, having no idea at all what to do. There's not a lot of things that scare me in this world, but my mother scares the living hell out of me.

Regina took a step back. "You… I thought we stopped you. How did you get through?"

"Determination," Cora replied. "I had to see you." She glanced at me. "Both of you." She looked back at Regina. "I needed to tell you that I know why you sent me through the looking glass. And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's… it's all right."

"I think it's not all right."

"I love you. I love you both. I just… I've always shown it in all the wrong ways. And I never should have made you marry the king. I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin, it… it all changed."

"You framed me for the cricket."

"Temporarily, so you could see what these people really think of you."

You lying, scheming, manipulative…

"You made an airtight case," I finally spoke up. "Anyone would believe it."

"I didn't want you to reject me," Cora replied. "Not again."

I actually laughed. Nice try, Mother. Nice try.

Regina shook her head. "You wanted me broken."

"Receptive," Cora corrected.

Now it was Regina's turn to laugh. "You are the most manipulative… No. I won't even argue. Come with me. We're going to town."

I frowned at my sister. "What?"

"It's the middle of the night," Cora said.

Regina turned. "I don't care. We'll wake them up—Emma and Henry and the two idiots, and you can tell them how you lied. You owe me that."

"And then you'll let us start over?"

"I don't see that happening, Mother. But I am—I was trying so hard to be worthy of Henry. And I deserve the same thing from you."

"You're right. For you, sweetheart. Anything."

* * *

I don't like this. I do not like this. This is a bad idea. I leaned back in the backseat of Regina's car, frowning at the back of my mother's head. This is way too easy. There is no way she's not planning something. I'm just praying that my sister won't fall for it.

Regina glanced at Cora. "Nervous?"

"Not about owning up to what I've done," Cora replied. "It's just… these carriages are strange. And something's… irritating me."

She pulled a little clay thing out from under her seat. It had a handprint and two words underneath it. It must be something that Henry made for Regina.

Cora held it up. "Oh. "For Mommy". Oh, that used to be you."

Here we go.

"When were you in my house?" Regina asked.

"I haven't had the pleasure."

"That was in my house. Think I don't know where that was? It's one of my most treasured possessions."

"Well, let's be honest. Taking me to be pilloried by the town might gain you some points, but as long as Emma and her parents are here, he's not really yours. Not like he was when he made things for his one and only mommy. You've been too bad for too long, and now they see you as a… a snake."

I scoffed. "The only snake in here is you."

Cora ignored me. "You don't want their love at all. What do you want?"

Regina hesitated. "My son back."

I sat forward as my sister pulled the car open and shut it off.

"And I want my daughters back," Cora said. "I meant everything I said earlier. I am so sorry. I can do better. I won't push you away again. Let me into your heart. Together, we can get him back again."

"Regina, tell me you are not listening to this," I said. "You know how she gets things done. You know what happens when you let her in. Our mother is incapable of loving anything, she only destroys. And you can't make Henry love you. You haven't done anything wrong yet, but if you let her sink her claws in, she will make you. You know that. Cora brings out the worst in everyone. Please, Regina, you know better than this."

My sister didn't look at me, she was staring down at her lap, tears falling from her eyes.

I sighed, half-sad, half-frustrated and looked at my mother. "Spin all the pretty little lies you want, but I will never trust you. You see me or my sister having a chance at happiness and you do everything in your power to destroy it, to force us back to you. We're just chess pieces to you. I can't control what my sister does, but I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to send you far, far away. Permanently, this time. You will not ruin everything that she's worked so hard to build. I'll make sure of it."

With that, I opened the car door and ran, slamming it shut behind me. I ran until I reached the edge of the docks and dropped to my knees at the water's edge, fighting back tears. I meant my promise, and I intend to keep it. But I can't do it alone, I know that much. And I can't help anything if I can't concentrate because of the damn whispering in my head. I need help. I need to know how to make it go away, or at least what it is. There's only one person who knows that much about magic…. Rumplestiltskin.

Though I was looking at the ground, a light in front of me caught my eye and I looked up. I front of me, a short stream of fire was dancing on the water, flickering in the darkness. I sat back on my heels, staring at it. That's a first. I don't remember it doing that before. Wait a minute… I froze for a second, listening. No whispers… nothing. For once, everything was quiet. I smiled slightly at the flickering little fire. Normally this would be impossible, of course, but I've long since given up on questioning it.

After a few moments, I knew I had to go. I narrowed my eyes at the fire, concentrating, and the little fire disappeared, as if it'd never existed. I smiled a little to myself as I got to my feet. The fires have always been complicated. They do disappear when I want them to, provided that I can concentrate, but usually the voices prevent that.

I turned from the water and walked away, back to the streets and to Main Street. It didn't take me long to find Rumplestiltskin's shop. Ignoring the Closed sign, I opened the door and stepped inside. The main room was empty.

"Hello?" I called. "Rumplestiltskin? Are you here?"

The Dark One came out of the back room. "Mirana. I was wondering when you'd be coming to see me. What is it?"

"Oh, lots of things. First and foremost, I'm assuming you know about Cora?"

"Indeed. She stopped by earlier."

"Yes, well, she's managed to sink her claws into my sister once again. I have to stop her, and I will, but I need your help first."

"With what?"

I took a deep breath and told him everything. The fires, the whispers, everything.

"I told you bad things would happen if you kept suppressing your magic like that," Rumple said when I was finished.

I scowled, remembering the conversation we'd had all those years ago. "Yes, I know. Just tell me what it is."

"When someone born with a magical ability tries to suppress it, the built up power can turn in on itself and become its own spirit almost, created entirely of unused power. That… spirit is what's causing the whispers."

"But why? If it's its own spirit, why doesn't it just leave?"

"Because it's not its own spirit, it's more like a split personality, or a second one."

"Or being possessed," I muttered.

"It only exists because of your power, and that binds it to you. The whispers are because it wants you to use it, to use the power that's built up and created it, to work with it. Essentially, it wants control."

"But it never says any real words."

"Not yet, but as it gets stronger…"

I nodded slowly. "And the fires? Is this thing causing it too?"

"Probably. I'm assuming it wants your attention."

"But why would I have enough suppressed magic for it to form in the first place? I never trained, I've never even tried to use magic."

"It is possible for someone to be born with certain magical abilities."

I thought for a moment. "Makes sense. How do I get rid of it? The… other personality?"

"There's the hard part. In every other case I've heard of, the spirit will drive its host insane, forcing it to give up control. As far as I know, there's no rea way to get rid of it, no documented way at least."

"So what do I do?"

"My best guess? Use your magic. If you release that unused power, it may go away on its own."

"Wouldn't that just be giving it what it wants?"

"Not necessarily. It grows from the raw magic that you refuse to use. If you let the magic out, they'll be nothing left for it and it should dissipate on its own."

"Wonderful. So, my only option is to do the thing I swore never to do, or I'll go insane, and on top of it, it may not even work… Typical."

"I did warn you, dearie."

"You didn't tell me this would happen!"

"I told you something would happen. You didn't listen."

I sighed. "Can you help? I've done a lot of reading, but I don't know the first thing about actually controlling magic of my own. The fires go away if I concentrate, but other than that… Tell me you can help me."

"Perhaps. But not right now. I need to find someone."

I raised my eyebrows. "Who?"

"My son."

I thought for a moment. "Alright, look, let me help you find him, then. I can't do anything about Cora just yet, so… Give me something to do."

Rumple stared at me for a minute, then nodded. "Alright. Come on, then. There's one more person that's coming with us."

I followed him out the door. "Who's that?"

"Miss Swan, of course."

"… Alright, then."

* * *

I trailed behind Rumple as we walked up the stairs to the Charmings' apartment. He knocked on the door, but didn't wait long for someone to open it before he waved his hand and the door flew open. I leaned against the doorway as Rumple stepped inside. Emma, Charming, Snow, and Henry were there, but Emma was the one that was on her way to the door.

Emma stopped in her tracks. "Gold. We've all had a long night."

"You remember that favor you owe me, Miss Swan?" Gold asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm cashing it in."

"It's not… a good…"

"You do honor your agreements, don't you? I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. Pack your bag."

"Leaving?" Snow said.

"Well, where?" Henry asked.

Emma frowned. "Wait. Find someone? Who?"

"My son," Gold replied. "It has to be today because every minute I'm here, is a minute closer to me killing Hook. So it's really best for all concerned if I leave, and you're gonna come with me. Oh, and, um, we have a long history, so know this and know it to be true. If any harm comes to Belle while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you. I'll see you at noon."

Well, death threats are always fun, not that I'd have a problem with someone killing Hook. Gold walked past me and out the door. I glanced at Emma before following.


	8. Chapter 8

**And we are back with another chapter. This one is kind of short and a bit of a filler, because it's mostly just the travel stuff. But I enjoyed writing it, so we're publishing it anyway. Let's get started. Enjoy!**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

At exactly noon, Gold and I returned to the Charmings' apartment. Emma opened the door, dressed to travel.

"Ready to go, Miss Swan?" Gold asked.

"Almost," Emma replied.

Henry walked over to Emma, a bag at his side. "Do you think we'll be cold where we're going, or warm?"

"I think layers are always a good idea."

"I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear," Gold said. "You owe me a favor—you alone."

"I'm not leaving Henry here with Cora lurking about, so either we both go, or we both stay."

"Then we'll have to purchase another plane ticket, won't we?"

"Wait. We're flying?"

"Don't worry, I'm covering expanses. Even the new ones."

I tilted my head to the side, confused. "Wait. What's a plane?"

Emma chuckled. "I'll tell you on the way."

Charming came down the stairs. "All right, Gold, you're going out there with my family. Just know if anything happens to them—"

"That you do what?" Gold interrupted. "Cross the town line? And David Nolan will hunt me down in his animal rescue van?"

"I'll be devastated. This isn't a threat. It's a request. Take care of them."

"I promise no harm will come to your family. After all… we have deal."

In the car, Emma finally explained to me what a plane was and I was slightly less excited about this trip now… Not that I was terribly excited about it to begin with.

"So you're telling me that a plane is a giant piece of metal with wings that people fly in to travel great distances?" I summarized.

"Basically," Emma replied.

I sat back. "And someone actually thought this was a good idea?"

"Yep."

I shook my head. "I do not understand this world."

"So… Where are we going?" Henry asked from beside me.

"Logan International Airport," Gold said.

"I think he meant after that," Emma commented.

"Let's just take things one step at a time, shall we?"

"You really think that shawl's gonna work?"

"Well, if it doesn't, and I revert to my cursed self, we're all gonna have some problems. It'll work."

I leaned ahead of me so that I could see out the window as we crossed the town line. All three of us stared at Gold.

"So?" I asked.

"My name is Rumplestiltskin," Gold said. "And we're gonna find my son."

I sat back against the seat. I felt different after we crossed the line, like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Then it hit me—there's no magic out here… No voices, no fires, no nothing. For once in my life, I feel free. Part of me wished I didn't have to go back to Storybrooke, back to magic, back to the voices. But I can't leave my sister, I know that. Still, the prospect of a life entirely devoid of magic would be fantastic. Maybe magic can be used well, but in my experience, it only really destroys.

I lost track of the hours in the car before we reached the airport. I only really started paying attention when we got to this really long line with a big metal thing at the end. Emma said it was the security line, that's all I know. I don't get this.

"Have you ever been outside of Storybrooke before, Mr. Gold?" Henry asked.

"No," Gold replied, annoyed.

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"Are you worried about meeting your son?"

"No, Henry, I'm fine."

"How about we talk about all this later, kid?" Emma suggested. "We're next."

Do children always talk this much?

"It must be really hard not to use magic, being like everyone else," Henry said.

I barely heard him. I was frowning at the moving belt thing beside me with bins that people were putting their things into while they passed under the metal thing.

"You've gotta put your shoes in," Emma said.

"Why?" I asked. "This world makes no sense."

"How terribly uncivilized," Gold commented.

I nodded. "That too."

"Uh, scarf and the cane go in the basket," the guard behind the desk said to Gold.

"What?" Gold said.

"Scarf and cane go in the basket."

Gold turned to Emma and me. "I can't."

"You have to," Emma replied.

"It ain't rocket science, buddy," a man in line behind us snapped. "You ever been on a plane before?"

Gold took a step forward. "Have you ever been impaled upon a cane before?"

Emma and I stepped in his way before he could attack anyone.

"Our… father's a little nervous," Emma said. "We're headed to a family reunion. Sorry."

I frowned for a second before I figured it out and then nodded in agreement.

"Your father?" Gold asked.

"Just put the shawl in the bin. I'll help you get though," Emma told him.

"If I let this go, I could forget who I am."

"I'm not gonna let that happen."

"…Okay."

Slowly, Gold placed the shawl in the bin, along with his coat. He looked a bit dizzy and tripped a little as he walked. Emma grabbed his arm to steady him. As soon as we were on the other side, I grabbed the shawl out of the bin and wrapped it around Gold's neck again.

"Guys, there's a Cinnabon's here!" Henry said excitedly.

I looked at Emma in confusion. "What on Earth is a Cinnabon?"

"It—I'll explain later," Emma replied.

Now we're sitting and waiting to actually board the plane. There's a lot of waiting and lines to this whole thing, isn't there? Emma, Henry, and I were sitting, watching Gold pace the floor in front of us.

"Do you want something to eat?" Emma asked.

"No," Gold replied.

"Something wrong?"

"Stop asking me that. I'll be right back."

He walked off, probably to the bathroom or something. After he was gone for a while, Emma told Henry to go tell him we were boarding soon. I watched the young boy run off and then looked back out the window. I'd taken to watching the planes taking off.

"I still don't understand how someone thought a giant, metal bus in the sky was a good idea," I commented, staring through the glass.

"You be surprised what's been considered a good idea in this world," Emma replied. "You get used to it."

"Mm. One day, maybe."

There was a moment of silence.

"So, are you going to tell me why you ran out of Archie's office last week?" Emma finally asked.

I glanced at her. "I hadn't planned to."

"That's not an answer."

I sighed, but told her about the voices and the fires.

"So you've got an evil twin living in your head?" Emma asked when I was finished.

"Mm, sort of. There's no real name for it, so I've been calling it a split personality… For the twelve hours that I've actually known what it is," I replied.

Emma thought for a moment. "You should name it."

I looked at her. "What?"

"You said there isn't a name for it, so give it one. If only for something to call it."

I frowned, thinking before I finally found a name. "Anastasia."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Any particular reason?"

"Named after an old…. 'friend' from Wonderland. It's too long of a story to tell, but it's fitting for an… evil twin, trust me."

"Alright, Anastasia it is, then."

It hasn't even taken off yet, and I already hate planes. At least I got the window seat, which I was obsessively staring out of, as if staring at the ground would keep us on it.

"You good, kid?" Emma asked Henry.

"You kidding?" Henry replied. "A trip with you, first plane ride, and we're going on a quest like in the book. The only thing that could make this day better…" He held up the cinnamon roll he was eating. "…is more frosting."

"I was with you until 'first plane ride'," I said, not looking away from the window. "There's no way that flying around in a metal box could be a good idea."

"Just wait until we take off. You'll be fine," Emma told me.

I sent her a disbelieving glance. I can't imagine what would happen if I could use magic out here. Actually, I can imagine it. More than likely, the entire plane would be on fire and Anastasia would be yelling away inside my head. Yeah, it's a very good thing that this is a land without magic…. A very, very good thing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, Guys! So, this chapter is really not the best, only because it's the New York one, and it's all about Rumple and Emma reuniting with Neal and all that, which makes it hard to write Mirana into it, because she has no connection to Neal at all. Nevertheless, I hope it's interesting enough to read.**

 **SleepingBeautyRocks: Well, I'm glad you liked it, and, yes, she will join the group to go rescue Henry in Neverland. I can say that much :)**

 **LadyDV011: I agree. It is annoying when Emma does that.**

 **Ali: Glad you liked that :)**

 **Guest: Well, I can't really say much about the personality split yet, but, yes, I'm looking forward to Mirana meeting Zelena as well.**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

I climbed out of the car and stared up at the enormous buildings around me. I'd grown up in a castle, but this was different. Everything was so… What's the word? Modern. Some buildings had giant screens advertising something that were built into them, some looked like apartment buildings. People and more cars filled the streets. I normally don't like crowds, but I was too distracted to care. After we landed in New York, we'd gotten into a yellow car with a driver, which was apparently called a taxi. I don't understand why there has to be a special name for it, but whatever. I was just happy to be back on the ground. Never again, never again. If I'm going to learn just one thing from this trip, it's that I utterly despise planes. Emma, Henry, and Gold followed me out of the taxi and looked up at the building in front of us.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked Gold. "This is the right place?"

"Yes, it is," Gold replied.

"Let me guess. He's not expecting you," I guessed.

Gold shook his head.

"Well, who doesn't love a surprise?" Emma said.

The four of us walked inside the building. There was a gate with a speaker and a bunch of buttons built into it.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's an intercom," Emma replied.

"Come again?"

"I'll tell you later."

Henry read all the names written under the buttons. "No Baelfire."

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't fly as an alias," Emma said. She looked at Gold. "Your magic globe didn't give you an apartment number?"

"It doesn't work that way," Gold replied.

"Do any of these names mean anything to you?" I asked.

"Well, names are what I traffic in, but sadly, no."

Emma pointed to one of the buttons. The label had no name, just a number. "Here's your boy."

"Or it could just be vacant," Gold said.

"You might traffic in names and magic, but I traffic in finding people that don't wanna be found, and those sort of folks don't like to advertise their whereabouts." She pressed the button twice. "U.P.S package for 407."

The speaker disconnected.

"Maybe you should've said FedEx," Henry suggested.

There was a crashing noise from outside.

"He's running," Emma said.

The four of us ran outside in time to see a hooded man climbing down the fire escape.

"That—that favor you owe me—this is it," Gold said. "Get him to talk to me. I-I can't run."

"Watch Henry," Emma replied. "I'll be back."

Emma ran after the man and disappeared from sight. Great, more waiting. An hour passed. Gold kept staring in the direction they'd ran.

"Don't worry. Emma's really good at catching people," Henry told him.

"Well, my son's been running away for a long time now," Gold replied. "Now I have a feeling he's equally adept at it."

"Well, at least we found him, right?"

"Indeed."

"Oh, and, uh, thanks for the hot dog." Henry held up the cylinder of meat on a bun that he was holding. I don't understand this world, you already know this. "I forgot."

"You are quite welcome. And thank you."

"For what?"

"Well, if it wasn't for you bringing Emma to Storybrooke, none of this would have come to pass. You… are a remarkable young man."

"You know… I forgave her. Emma… for giving me up. She thought it was the best for me then. That's why she did it. I'm sure your son will get it, too."

Okay, I feel awkward.

"Alas, the circumstances surrounding our separation weren't quite so noble."

What did you do, Rumple?

"But… You're here now. And you want him back, right?"

"More than anything."

"Then that's all that matters."

Yeah, I feel very awkward now. I'm not good with family conversations…. For obvious reasons. My thoughts drifted back to Storybrooke. I hope my sister is okay. I can't imagine she's too happy about Emma taking Henry with us, but it's good that she did, for Henry's sake.

After a while, the three of us went inside and waited on the bench just inside the apartment building. I wondered where Emma was. She'd been gone for a long time. Gold kept nervously twisting his ring and staring at the floor.

"Why are you so nervous?" I finally asked.

"Yeah. When I found my mom, I was excited," Henry added.

"Because I have the benefit of a little more… life experience," Gold replied, more to Henry than to me. "I know that things don't always happen the way we want them to."

"Oh, that I understand," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"Sure, but in my book, it says that you can see the future," Henry said. "Why can't you just look and see what's gonna happen?"

"Well, that ability is complicated," Gold replied. "I didn't always have it. And then when I did… Well… It's maybe not the gift one would expect. Seeing the inevitable… can be a terrible price."

"But you wouldn't have to worry about stuff. You'd just know."

"But that's the great trap. The future… is like a puzzle… with missing pieces—difficult to read. And never, never what you think."

The door opened and Emma walked in. "Hey."

The three of us stood up to meet her.

"Did you find him?" Gold asked.

"Sorry. Your son… got away."

After a moment, Gold turned and started pressing all of the buttons.

"Gold, wait," Emma said. "What are you doing?"

There was a buzz and the gate opened. Oh, that's what he was trying to do.

"I'm finding my son," Gold replied.

"He's gone."

"But he lives here. He'll be back, and I'll be waiting."

He started up the stairs and Emma ran after him. Henry and I looked at each other.

"So, we're breaking in, then?" Henry said.

"Looks like it," I replied.

"What if we get arrested?"

I shrugged. "I don't care. Anything to delay another plane ride. Come on."

We ran up the stairs after them. By the time we reached them, they were already on Baelfire's floor.

"Stop. You can't just break in," Emma said.

"Yeah, well, actually, that's something I'm quite adept at," Gold replied, starting to pick the lock.

"He might not come back."

"Finding people is what you do, Ms. Swan. I'm simply going to assist you. There may be information in here—who he is, what he does, who he loves."

"No, don't do this. There are things called laws."

"I'll be lookout," Henry said, walking to the end of the hall.

"You could get arrested," Emma stated.

"Then my son will have to testify against me, and we will be reunited."

"So… You're insane. Just putting that out there," I commented.

He opened the door and walked inside, Emma, Henry, and I following.

"Gold," Emma said. "Come on, please. We really shouldn't be here."

"I don't think he's listening," Henry told her.

I nodded in agreement. "I think you're right."

Emma shut the door behind us and then walked to the window, unhooking a dreamcatcher and looking at it, almost like she recognized it.

"You find something, dearie?" Gold asked her.

"Nothing," Emma replied. "Uh, it just looks like a dream catcher."

"Okay, but if it's nothing, then why are you still holding it?" I said.

"You're lying to me," Gold said.

Emma hung the dream catcher back on the window. "Just get back to looking, okay?"

"No, no, no. You saw something. Tell me."

"You don't know what you're talk—"

"Tell me!"

"Henry, go wait in the bathroom."

"But I can help—" Henry started.

"Henry, go!" Emma snapped.

The boy walked away to the bathroom.

Emma turned back to Gold. "There's nothing here. The guy's a ghost."

"What, you think me a fool?" Gold replied. "You're holding back. I wanna know what and why."

"I'm not holding back—"

"Did he tell you something?"

"Gold—"

"Did he tell you something?!"

"Nothing. He didn't say anything."

"But you talked to—"

"Ah! Don't put words in my mouth—"

"Tell me! You tell me, or I'm gonna make you tell me."

"Alright, everybody just calm down," I said. "Gold, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you don't have magic here. You can't make her do anything."

"Oh, I don't need magic," Gold replied, taking a step towards Emma.

"You really wanna do this?" Emma asked.

"Do not push me."

"Don't push _me_."

"We had a deal!" He knocked over a table. "A deal! No one—no one breaks deals with me!"

The door flew open and Baelfire ran in. "Hey! Leave her alone."

What is happening?

Gold's expression softened. "Bae. You came back for me."

Baelfire shook his head. "No. I came to make sure you didn't hurt her." He pointed at Emma. "I've seen what you do to people who break deals."

Alright, I'm officially confused. He knows Emma now? What is going on?

"Please, Bae, just let me talk," Gold said.

"I have no interest in talking to you. You can go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Get out of my apartment!"

Emma stepped forward. "Neal…"

"Emma, I got this."

Gold stared between the two. "You two know each other. You two know each other. How?"

Emma rounded on Gold. "You sent me chasing after him."

"No, no, no. Stop it! You're lying. How do you two know each other?!"

"Can everybody just stop yelling?!" I said.

Henry walked in from the other room. "Mom? Wh-what's going on?"

"Who's this?" Neal asked.

"My son," Emma replied.

"What?"

"Is that Baelfire?" Henry asked curiously.

Emma knelt down to her son's level. "I need you to stay in the other room for a little while longer, okay? Come on." She turned him toward the door.

"Wait. H-how old are you?" Neal said.

"Don't answer him," Emma told Henry, starting to walk him out of the room.

"How old are you, kid?!" Neal yelled.

Henry spun around, out of Emma's grip. "Eleven! Now why is everyone yelling?"

Neal looked at Emma. "He's eleven?"

Henry turned to Emma as well. "Mom?"

"Is this my son?" Neal asked.

"No," Henry said. "My dad was a fireman. He—he died." He turned to Emma. "That's what you told me. You said… "

"Is this… my son?" Neal asked again.

Emma put her hands on Henry's shoulders. "Yes."

Henry backed away from her, shaking his head, and then climbed past me out the window and onto the fire escape. I stared from Emma to Neal, having absolutely no idea what's going on. Emma climbed out the window after Henry and disappeared. Neal walked to the window as well.

Gold tried to put a hand on his arm, but Neal jerked away from him. "Baelfire… Please. Please. All I want is a chance to be heard."

"Get out," Neal snapped.

"Look, you came back to protect Emma, so show that she had lived up to her end of her bargain with me."

"And now she has. You can go."

"No. Our deal was for her to get you to talk to me. If you truly want her deal to be fulfilled… you have but one choice. You have to talk to me."

"You got three minutes."

I have no idea what's going on. I simply leaned against the wall next to the window, listening to the father and son in the next room. So, this is Henry's father… Which makes Rumple his grandfather… And he's my adoptive nephew…. You know what, I need to stop thinking about this family tree, or I'm going to get a headache.

"Clock's ticking," Neal said.

"I know I've made mistakes," Rumple replied. "But you must believe me. I wanna make up for it. There's no greater pain than regret."

"Try abandonment."

"Please. Let me make it up to you."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"I grew up alone. I grew up without a father. You can make up for that?"

"Yeah. Yes, I can."

"Two minutes."

"Come with me to Storybrooke. There's magic there. I can turn the clock back. Make you fourteen again. We can start over."

"Fourteen? I don't wanna be fourteen… again. Are you—are you insane?"

"I can't make up for the lost time, but I can take away the memories. Bae."

"Take away who I am— No, thanks. One minute."

"Bae… please. Give me a chance. You once loved me."

"You were once a good man."

"I can be that man again. I've changed. Look… I came here… To this city without magic."

"Yeah, yeah, and you're still trying to use it. To make up for your mistakes. Still think that that can make it all better. It won't. You can't. You have no idea what I've lived with. You're so worried about you. You know what I've dealt with? Every night for more years than you could know… The last thing I see before sleep is the image of you—you and me over that pit, your hand... wrapped around mine. And then you open your grip. And as I fall away, all I can see is your face. Choosing all…. This… crap over me. Letting me go… Now it's my turn. Now I'm letting you go."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't care. I didn't get closure, so you don't, either. Gotta go."

"Oh, Bae."

"No. Time's up."

Neal walked back into this room at the same time that Emma climbed back through the window and walked over to Neal. "He wants to meet you."

"You weren't gonna tell me about him," Neal replied.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yeah, well, he's my kid, too, so you don't get to make that decision by yourself anymore."

"Great. Go talk to him, then. But… don't break his heart."

"Trust me, I'm not gonna do to him what he did to me."

"And what you did to me."

"Okay. I get it. We're all messed up. What do you say we try to avoid that with him? All right?"

Neal walked away and climbed out the window to talk to Henry. I finally peeled myself off the wall and walked over to Emma.

"Well… It's been an eventful day," I said.

Emma chuckled a little. "Understatement. It must be kind of confusing for you… Getting caught in all this."

"Well, I do seem to be the only one here that's not somehow related to, and or has a history with Neal. But I think I'm following…. Sort of. This family tree gives me a headache."

"Tell me about it."


	10. Chapter 10

**And we're back! Guys, it has been way too long since I've updated this story, and I'm sorry, but I've been editing and working on other things, so I just simply didn't have time. You have my sincerest apologies for all of that, but I am back now, so I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

 **Guest: Well, I've written more now :)**

 **SleepingBeautyRocks: Yes, she certainly has become fond of Henry.**

 **Alice: Well, I'm glad that you've caught up now. I know, I can't wait for her to meet Zelena. I adore Zelena as a character and I can't wait to write about her and about her and Mirana. I can tell you that Mirana's magic and the voices are a lot more complicated than they seem, and will cause many, many problems in the future. As for Cora, well... I suppose we'll just have to wait and see :)**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

I trailed behind the others as we walked through the New York streets. Neal and Henry were up ahead, father-son bonding, I suppose. Emma and Gold a few feet behind them, and me a few steps back from them. Neal and Henry turned and walked into a pizza place and the other three of us came to a stop outside.

Emma turned to Gold and me. "Do you think that we should…" She gestured to the building.

"If we were welcome, I feel confident an invitation would've been extended," Gold replied. "It's a sad truth that the people closest to us are the ones capable of causing us the most pain. That's our common ground, Ms. Swan, Ms. Mills."

I chuckled humorlessly and nodded. "True that."

"Guess my lying to him just caught up with me," Emma said sadly.

"Ah. Give him time. He'll forgive you," Gold replied.

"Yeah," I agreed. "You're too good a mother to give up on."

"Is that you projecting your own hopes?" Emma asked Gold, after giving me a small smile.

Gold scoffed. "My son and I have some way to go."

"I can see that."

"I need you to speak to him. Try and convince him to come back to Storybrooke with us."

"If I recall, it was only one favor I owed you, and I think I'm paid up."

"This isn't about me anymore. You'll do it for Henry."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, because if you don't, you're gonna wake up one morning and discover he's hopped on a bus back to New York. He ran away to Boston to be with you. He'll do the same thing for his father."

"Until Neal lets him down, which he will. It'll be a hard lesson, but then at least Henry will understand that I lied to protect him."

"What is with this family and lying?" I muttered, not loud enough for either of them to hear. I looked at Emma. "Now you're starting to sound like my sister. Let's all be honest here. You didn't lie to protect Henry, you lied to protect yourself, which I understand… sort of."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma demanded.

"It's means you don't want to get hurt again."

"That's not happening."

I shrugged. "My best guess, you want a second chance with Neal."

"What makes you think that?"

"The look on your face for starters."

"You have no idea what…"

Before she could finish, Neal and Henry rejoined the group, each holding slices of pizza.

"What are we talking about?" Neal asked.

"Emma, Neal wanted to show me the museum," Henry said. "Do you think we can go back to the apartment and get my camera?"

Emma looked at Neal, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, well, I—Kids like culture, right?" Neal said.

"Sure. Yeah, that's fine," Emma replied. "You like the New York pizza?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah. It's delicious, cheesy, and doesn't lie."

I held in a laugh. Emma glared at me.

"What?" I said. "That's fair."

* * *

On the walk back to the apartment, I stayed up ahead with Gold and Henry, not wanting to be a part of the awkward energy that surrounds Emma and Neal.

"So should I call you 'Grandpa' now?" Henry asked Rumple.

"Call me whatever you'd like," Gold replied shortly.

There were a few minute of silence and then Henry turned and walked back to Neal and Emma to ask something.

I glanced at Rumple. "You know, I see why Cora liked you. You're just as manipulative as she is."

"Whatever do you mean, dearie?" Rumple asked, though he knew exactly what I meant.

I chuckled humorlessly. "I suppose you're to blame for it all, though, aren't you? You started it all. You taught her everything she knows."

Rumple said nothing as the five of us walked inside the apartment building. Neal pulled open the gate and he and Henry ran upstairs, leaving Rumple, Emma, and I alone.

"So, uh, did you talk to him?" Gold asked Emma.

"He said it's complicated," Emma replied.

"Oh, I see."

"Well, maybe he just needs some time. I don't know."

I heard the door open behind me and then I was pushed to the side, falling to the floor and skidding until I ran into the wall, headfirst. Through my blurred vision, I could make out Hook as he pushed Gold against the gate and stabbed his hook into his chest. Rumple slid to the floor, still alive, but wounded.

"Ticktock. Time's up, Crocodile," Hook hissed. "You took Milah, my love, my happiness. And for that, I now take your life."

Hook lifted his hook to stab again and I flew to my feet, grabbing the closest thing I could reach, which happened to be a trash can. I darted forward and hit Hook over the head with it as hard as I could. The pirate crumpled to the ground.

"I probably shouldn't have enjoyed that as much as I did…. Oh, well."

I tossed the trash can aside and knelt in front of Gold. Emma joined me, having been pushed aside as well.

"Gold, are you all right?" Emma asked.

Neal ran down the stairs. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh, just a little assassination attempt, nothing to worry about," I replied sarcastically.

Neal looked at the unconscious pirate. "Hook."

I raised my eyebrows. "You know him?"

Neal didn't reply, more worried about the blood on his hand after he'd touched Rumple's chest. He stared at his father worriedly. "Papa?"

* * *

Neal helped Gold up to the apartment while Emma and I locked Hook in a storage locker.

"Found a storage room and locked our stab-happy pirate in there," Emma said when we got back to the apartment. "He shouldn't be causing anyone else any problems. And get this—he had a map on him. It looks like he sailed his ship here."

"How'd he get a pirate ship into New York?" Neal asked.

"It's cloaked." Emma bent to Henry's level. "Don't worry. He's not gonna hurt any of us."

"But is Mr. Gold gonna be okay?" Henry asked.

"Henry, he's gonna be fine," Neal said.

I watched Emma walk into the other room to get her phone. When she came back, she bent to Henry's level again. "Hey, kid. The battery's dead. Go in the other room and see if you can find a charger, okay?"

"Okay." Henry took the charger and ran into the other room.

"Oh, man. We gotta get him to an E.R. fast," Neal said.

"No, it's pointless," Gold replied. There was something yellow around the wound.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's poison. It's one of Hook's own making. There's no antidote in this world. It's… it's not from here."

"Hey. Hey, hey. There's gotta be some way we can save you," Neal said.

"There is. There is."

"Storybrooke. There's magic there now," I said. "We'll need to get him back."

"I'll get a car."

"No, no, no. We don't have time. We need something faster," Rumple told him. "The captain's ship."

"The 'Jolly Roger' instead of a car?" Emma asked.

"It's the fastest vessel in all the realms."

"Well, that's great, but who's gonna captain it since the only guys qualified wants you dead?"

"I can do it," Neal said.

Gold frowned. "Bae?"

"Yeah. I can do it."

"You know how to sail a pirate ship?" Emma asked.

Neal nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"How convenient," I muttered.

Neal crossed to the counter and picked up his phone.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Getting us a car," Neal replied.

"I thought you were suddenly a pirate and were gonna take a ship."

"Yeah, well, we still gotta get his ass to the ship."

I frowned. "So you know Hook, then?"

"It's a long story. Short version is… Is this world wasn't my first stop when I left home. If it was, I'd be a couple hundred years old by now." His phone rang. "That should be our ride. Hang tight." Neal disappeared into the other room.

Henry walked over to Emma, holding her phone. "Emma, you need to see this."

"What is it, Kid?" she replied.

"It's a text from David and Mary Margaret. You need to read it now."

It's about Cora, isn't it?

Emma read the message and then looked up. "Bad news, Gold.

"What worse than incurable poison?" Gold asked sarcastically.

"I don't know. You tell me. You got a dagger hidden somewhere in Storybrooke that's the source of all your power?"

The Dark One sighed. "Get to your point."

"Cora's after it. The only way to stop her is have David and Mary Margaret get to it first."

"Yeah, let Cora try."

"You can't seriously be willing to risk this, not with your son coming back with you to Storybrooke."

"Ms. Swan, that dagger has not left my possession for centuries. It's not about to now."

Emma switched seats so that she was right beside Gold. "Here's the thing. You're dying… And right now we are your best hope. Time's come for you to start trusting someone. If I were you, I'd start with family."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. I wonder what it's like to have an entire family of people you can trust. On that front, I've always only really had Regina, and my father, I suppose, but I was never very close with my father. This thought led to me wondering what Cora and Regina might be doing back in Storybrooke. What new evil plan could Cora have manipulated Regina into now? If she gets the dagger, that means that she'll be able to control Rumple, yes, but it also means that if she stabs him with it, she'll become the Dark One, herself. Either way, this is not going to end well.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi, guys! It's been far too long since I've updated this story, don't you think? I know. I'm sorry. I've just been working on other things, and my focus just hasn't really been on Once Upon A Time lately. But I have a new chapter for you now, so I hope that helps you all hate me less.**

 **Alice: I think this chapter might give us a glimpse at just how complicated the voices are :) Stay tuned. As for Mirana and Regina bonding, yes we will definitely see more of that in future chapters. I've only had time to do hints of it thus far, but I'm excited to expand on their relationship farther. And as for Mirana trying to get Regina to see that Cora is manipulating her... Yeah, just keep reading :)**

 **JimmyHall24: Haha, ooh, indeed :)**

 **JimmyHall24: I'm glad you like her! :D**

 **JimmyHall24: I would've too, but that's not really Mirana's style... Although, she probably still wanted to :D**

 **JimmyHall24: Your wish has been granted :)**

* * *

Mirana's POV:

You know what? A ship might not be my new favorite way to travel, but I'll take it over another plane ride any day.

I leaned against the railing and looked out over the ocean. I liked how peaceful it was. Henry and Neal were standing up at the wheel, and Neal was teaching Henry how to steer the ship. Emma had gone downstairs to check on Rumple. I wonder if it would be more helpful if Rumple died from the poison before we get back. At least then, Cora can't use the dagger to control him, and if he dies naturally, what would happen to the Dark One magic? Would it just go back to the dagger? If that's the case, then maybe because there's nobody to stab with it, Cora still wouldn't be able to get the magic. Although, knowing Cora, she'd find a way.

After a while, I could see Storybrooke in the distance, and when we got close enough, I felt the whoosh of magic when we entered the town border.

" _Finally. I was getting bored in here."_

I jumped and glanced around me to see if someone was there, but I think I knew there wouldn't be anyone. I knew how different a voice in your head sounds like, as opposed to someone talking beside you. The thing is, as loud as the voices would get, they never actually spoke, just a bunch of incoherent whispers, like a crowd full of people whispering at once. But that wasn't a bunch of people, it was just one. It almost sounded like my voice, but somehow… different.

" _Who are you_?" I asked in my head.

" _I don't know… What is it you called me? Anastasia? After our old friend, the Red Queen, I assume. Clever."_

" _If you can talk, why haven't you said anything before? And why are you starting fires? I'm pretty sure if you kill me, you'd die too."_

 _Anastasia scoffed. "I wasn't trying to kill you, silly. I was just trying to get your attention. Obviously, I can't hurt you… much."_

I remembered what Rumple had told me. " _Get my attention or drive me insane? That's what things like you do, isn't it?"_

" _Only if necessary. But it would be easier if we could just work together. I think you might need me to deal with our Mother."_

" _She's not our mother. You're not even a real person."_

" _Of course, I am. I'm you, just without my own body. Like twins, but one of them died and latched onto the other one."_

" _That's a lie. You were created from magic, and you know it."_

" _Yes, the magic that you were stupid enough not to use."_

I said nothing—or…. Thought nothing.

" _Going quiet now?" she asked. "Regretting your decision? You could fix it, you know, if you work with me."_

" _I thought you disappear if I use you," I replied. "I'm assuming you don't want that."_

" _Is that what Rumple said? That man has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to our situation. You can't get rid of me, darling, not now. I'm afraid I've grown too powerful."_

" _Of course, you'd say that. Tell me, what reason would I have to believe the parasite living in my head about anything at all?"_

 _Her voice turned angry. "I'd be careful if I were you, Mirana, which I am. You have no idea how powerful I could've grown over the years. I might not be able to take over control of our body yet, but I control the magic in here. Make me angry, and I can do a lot worse than those little fires."_

" _You can't threaten me. I might not be able to get rid of you, yet, but this is still my body, and whatever you start, I can make go away. I've done it before, and you know it. Now, be quiet. I have more important things than you to deal with right now."_

* * *

We reached Storybrooke an hour later. Red, Snow and Charming met us at the docks. Red, who had gotten there first, helped Neal get Rumple off the ship.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked as soon as she and Charming arrived.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "Yep. We're all right."

"I drove a ship," Henry added.

"Did you now?" Charming asked.

"Yeah, my dad showed me how."

Neal nodded. "That's me."

They helped Rumple get to Charming's truck, so that he could lean against it.

"Is Cora trying to control you with the dagger?" Charming asked.

"Oh, you'd know if she was," Rumple replied. "And most of you would be dead by now."

"Hold on, you're saying she already has the dagger?" I asked.

Snow and Charming nodded. Okay, this situation just got a whole lot worse. I started to wonder if perhaps Cora had sent Hook to New York to poison Rumple in the first place, to weaken him so that she'd have an easier time driving that dagger through his heart.

"Well, then we'll just have to take the fight to her before that can happen," Snow said, mean 'before she can make him kill all of us'.

"We will," Charming agreed.

"And this time, we finish it," Snow added.

"Mary Margaret—"

"David. She needs to be stopped. She needs to be killed. This is our family. We are going to protect it." Snow glanced at me almost apologetically. "I'm sorry, but—"

"No, I understand," I said slowly. "But as you said, this is _your_ family, so I'd like to remind you that Regina is mine. I can live with getting rid of Cora, so to speak, but if you're threatening Regina as well, then we have a problem."

"Mirana, Regina is working with Cora. We'll do what we have to do to protect our family."

"Of course, we will," Charming cut in. "But what you're talking about goes beyond that."

"Does it?" Snow demanded. "Because she is the reason you've never met my mother."

"Oh, interesting that we're bringing up mothers, when you're currently plotting to kill mine," I snapped.

"This is different," Snow argued. "Your mother has done terrible things, but my mother was innocent!"

"There's no such thing as innocence, you self-righteous hypocrite! There's nobody in any world that is completely innocent, and that includes you."

Charming cut back in. "Look, I know what happened to Queen Eva, and I have zero problem with Cora dying for it, but not by your hand and not out of vengeance."

"Why?" Snow demanded.

"Because you wouldn't be able to live with yourself," Charming replied. "You have the purest heart of anyone I have ever known. It's who you are, and that's who you're gonna stay."

I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

" _See? I told you, you'd need me. How else are you going to protect Regina?" Anastasia asked smugly._

" _I told you to shut up," I grumbled._

Emma, Neal, Red and Henry rejoined the group at that moment, having gone back to the ship to get something.

"You okay?" Emma asked Gold.

"I'm beginning to feel a bit stronger," Gold replied. "Take me back to my shop. The magic there can protect us."

"Let me guess. I get to go with Ruby," Henry sighed.

Emma nodded. "You got it, Kid."

"I'll keep him out of the crossfire," Red said.

"Don't look so worried," Henry said. "You'll stop Cora. You won't let her get away."

* * *

Back at Gold's shop, Neal and Charming helped the warlock onto the bed in the back room, whilst Emma searched for the large jar that Gold told her to find.

"Did you find it?" Gold asked, once he was sitting on the bed.

Emma returned from the other side of the room, holding an empty jar. "Yeah. There's nothing it." Emma shook the jar and something clattered inside. "What the hell?" She reached into the jar and grabbed something that the rest of us still couldn't see.

"Invisible chalk," Gold explained. "Use it in the front doorway. Draw a line. The rest of you, you might wanna prepare for battle."

I went to the front room with Emma and Neal and Emma started drawing the chalk by the door.

"You missed a spot," Neal said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious."

"I didn't know you were magical."

"Oh, my—Are you getting judgey about this? 'Cause you're not allowed to have opinions about surprises, Mr. Son of Rumplestiltskin."

" _You do realize we're gearing up for a magic fight, right?" Anastasia said. "If you don't let me…. help you, you're dead weight."_

" _Most of the people here aren't magical. I really don't think it'll make that much of a difference," I snapped._

" _You could make this a lot easier on yourself, you know? Poor Rumple's on his deathbed and the 'Savior' is a magical novice, at best. But you and me? If we work together, we'd be unstoppable."_

" _Will you be quiet? How many times do I have to say I don't need you?"_

" _More like how much longer will you keep lying to yourself, because you do need me?"_

Charming entered the room. "We're all clear outside. Everything okay?"

We all nodded, though I'm not entirely sure any of us meant it. Emma went into the other room to talk to Gold, so I took the opportunity to speak to Charming.

"So, I'm assuming you've noticed that your wife is out for blood?" I said.

Charming hesitated. "She's not—she's just—"

"Trying to protect your family, I know. And I get that. I just want to make sure you understand this: I know that Cora more than deserves to die, and I can live with that, but Regina is the only real family I have, so I certainly hope that you all understand that I'm not going to let anything happen to her, which means that if you intend to deal with her the same as Cora, then we have a problem."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes."

Charming sighed. "She is working with Cora, if it's necessary—"

I held up my hand to silence him. "That won't be an issue. Cora is a master manipulator, but my sister wants to be good, for Henry's sake, and you know it. I can get through to her, but I'm going to need you to give me a chance before you go the vengeance route. Deal?"

The Prince hesitated. "Deal."

* * *

Do you know how hard is it to concentrate on an upcoming battle when the evil twin living in your head won't stop talking? No, I suppose you wouldn't… I hope.

" _You really are a stubborn one, aren't you?" Anastasia said. She sounded genuinely frustrated, but not surprised._

" _Why? Do most parasites like you win their battles within an hour of effort?" I replied._

" _Not necessarily, but combined with the fires, I thought I'd made more progress than this."_

" _Yes, well, obviously you're not as good as you think you are. Now, be quiet."_

As if on cue, the door burst open, having had a ball of fire thrown at it. Regina and Cora stood on the other side. I'll admit, we weren't ready in the slightest. David, Emma, and Neal had swords, which would do nothing against magic, while Snow and I didn't even have weapons. I didn't solely because I knew there was no point, and I don't know why Snow didn't. Regina and Cora stepped inside the shop. I glanced down at the Dark One dagger in Cora's hand. I'm not liking our odds for this fight.

"Regina, think about what you're doing," Emma said.

"Don't talk to me," Regina snapped.

My sister threw a fireball at Emma, which Charming deflected with his sword. Regina easily waved her hand and tossed him outside, the door swinging shut behind him.

"David!" Emma cried.

Cora flicked her hand and threw Emma back into a wall. Neal slashed at Cora with his sword, which proved not to be his best move, because Cora simply disappeared in a puff of purple smoke and reappeared on the other side of the room. But Cora wasn't my main focus right now—I was more worried about Regina, who had Emma pinned against the wall by her neck with magic.

I moved from my place behind the counter, I placed my hand on Regina's shoulder. "Regina, think about what you're doing. I know you think this is the only way to get Henry, but it isn't. Our mother is manipulating you, and you know it. You know what she does. Do not let Cora destroy everything you've worked so hard to build."

Regina glanced at me. Something flickered in her eyes—hesitation, maybe. But before she could reply, Emma took the chance to make her move. She grabbed Regina's arm, forcing her to turn, and held a knife to her throat.

"Emma…" I warned.

That's when I noticed the Dark One dagger lying on the floor. Cora must've dropped in when she teleported. I think they were trying to force Cora to choose—The dagger or Regina.

"What's it gonna be?" Neal asked.

"Mother!" Regina said, struggling against Emma's grip.

"Choose wisely," Neal added.

Cora chose neither, and simply summoned the dagger to her hand. In response, Emma threw Regina into Cora, which caused them both to crash into the other counter. The glass shattered and flew everywhere.

"Fall back to Gold. I have the chalk," Emma said.

Emma and Neal ran into the back room, but I didn't move. I needed time to see if I could get through to my sister, and I'm not going to get that by hiding. Besides, Cora wasn't going to hurt me, not when she wants us to be a "family" again.

"Mirana, come on!" Emma yelled.

"Go," I replied calmly. "I'll be fine."

As Cora and Regina were getting to their feet, Emma hastily drew a line across the doorway, and the protective shield sealed them in.

Cora finally turned to me. "Mirana, sweetheart—"

"I have nothing to say to you," I cut her off.

Cora sighed. "I know I've made many mistakes in the past. Give me the chance to make it up to you, just like your sister."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Help me take out Rumplestiltskin," Cora told Regina. "And then we'll go back…" Cora stopped in her tracks, grabbing the counter for support. Something was clearly wrong.

"Mother, what is it?" Regina asked worriedly.

"My… my heart," Cora replied. "It's with my things in your vault. Someone's there. Go. Go!"

Regina turned toward the door, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her. I didn't struggle. It wasn't until then that I noticed that Snow had disappeared. I hadn't seen her since before the fighting started, and she wasn't in the back room with Emma and Neal, so… You don't think she's the one that's messing with Cora's heart, do you? Why do I feel like this whole thing is about to get a whole lot worse?

* * *

Regina only released my hand once she'd poofed us to the cemetery where her vault was.

"I don't understand why you're so quick to side with her, after everything she's done to you, Regina," I said as we walked through the gravestones on the way to the vault. "After all she's done to the world, for that matter. Yet the moment she's in pain, you drag me off to check the vault."

"It's her heart, Mirana," Regina replied. "Can you imagine what would happen if someone's tampering with that? Whatever our mother has done, I don't think either of us want her to die."

"Funny that you're so worried about her heart. She certainly wasn't worried about Daniel's when she crushed it."

"Don't bring Daniel into this."

I'm not trying to be harsh, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm running out of ways to get through to her. "Apologies, but I just wonder what Daniel would think about you joining her side like this. How betrayed he would feel—"

"Alright, enough!" Regina stopped in her tracks and turned to me, angry now. "You have no idea what it's like to lose a child. To have raised him for his entire life and have him ripped away from you. I can't expect you to understand why I'm doing this, but you do not get to bring Daniel into it."

"You're right—I have no idea what's like to lose a child. But I do know that Cora doesn't care about Henry. Not when she doesn't even care about us. Regina, all she cares about and all she ever will care about is power. She's using you. And even if you do get Henry back her way, what's the point? If you kill Emma—his mother—he's never going to forgive you for that. There's got to be a better way."

"It's too late, Mirana. As long as Emma and her parents are here, I'll never have Henry back."

This is getting exasperating . "Yes, that's what Cora said. But Cora was manipulating you, as usual. Henry loves you. And if you want him back, this is far from the way. Emma isn't trying to take Henry away from you, she's trying to protect him—To keep any threat away from him, as any mother should, which means that making yourself a threat by slipping back into our mother's ways probably isn't the best idea. Regina, you know I only want the best for you. I want you to be happy, and you're never going to be happy if you go back to Cora—if you go back to the Evil Queen. Think about it—were you happy all those years chasing Snow?"

Regina didn't answer. Her expression was hard to read, but she was clearly conflicted. A long pause passed before she finally spoke.

"We should still find out what's wrong with her heart, Mirana."

I sighed. "It's still hard to believe she even has one of those. Alright, fine."

I followed Regina down the stairs into her vault. It had to be Snow that was messing around down here. Who else could it have been? She's the only one that was missing when the fighting started, not to mention how desperate she is to get rid of Cora.

Sure enough, when we rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, there was Snow, holding a black box in her hands. I'm going to go ahead and assume that's the box with Cora's heart in it.

"You have no right to be here," Regina said. "And you have no right to that."

Snow hesitated. "I was going to give it to you."

"What?" Regina and I spoke at the same time, equally as confused.

"She can't love you, you know," Snow continued. "She doesn't have her heart. With it, maybe she can. That's why you've never felt she loved you—both of you. She doesn't have her heart. But I do."

"You're doing this for us?" Regina asked.

"Think about it," Snow replied. "What would happen if Cora had her heart back? Back _inside_ her?"

"She told me she took it out to protect herself."

"And did it work? The person she was before—do you think that person survived? She can't love, so she can't love you."

Regina shook her head. "She always wanted the best for me." She glanced at me. "For both of us. That's love."

"Imagine real love," Snow insisted. "You'd have a mother. And a start on making a family Henry could be a part of. Or you could have her be the Dark One." Snow held out the box. "The choice is yours."

Everything was silent for a moment. Nobody moved. I had no idea what was going on, to be completely honest with you. Clearly, Snow had to be up to something. Either that, or her demeanor toward Cora just completely flipped since this morning.

After another moments' hesitation, Regina took the box from Snow, and then turned and started back up the stairs. She glanced at me as she went. "Come on."

Obediently, I followed my sister back up the stairs, pausing to glance suspiciously at Snow one more time. Still, I didn't stop Regina. I didn't say anything. At least, not until we'd stepped out of the stone building and back into the autumn wind.

"What now?" I asked finally.

"Now we test a theory," Regina replied.

* * *

We went in through the back door of Gold's shop. Cora would never willingly take back her heart, so if this was going to work, we'd have to catch her by surprise. The front room of the shop was empty, but I could hear Cora's voice from the other room. I followed Regina through the doorway into the back. Cora was standing over Rumple with the Dark One dagger raised, poised to stab it into his chest. Emma and Neal were gone completely, but they were far from important right now.

Just before Cora could plunge the dagger through Gold's heart, Regina stepped forward and shoved Cora's heart back into her body. Cora went rigid, the dagger falling from her grip.

When Cora's gaze finally turned to Regina and me, she wore an expression that I'd never seen before, at least on her. She looked…. Almost happy—or proud, maybe. There was this new light in her eyes that made her look like a completely different person. It reminded me of how Father looked when he looked at my sister and me.

Cora smiled—genuinely smiled. And then Regina smiled, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. Finally, despite myself, I smiled too.

"Mother," Regina said happily.

For a moment, everything was wonderful. For a moment, I had a mother who looked at her children with love, as a mother should, instead of seeing us as her chess pieces; As a means to an end for this plan or that.

But then it all came crashing down. Cora swayed slightly on her feet, clutching her chest as if she was in pain. Slowly, she lifted the folded collar of her coat, revealing a yellowish, bloody wound in her chest, identical to Rumple's.

It wasn't until then that the glinting Dark One dagger on the floor caught my eye. Rumplestiltskin's fading name was now fully restored, stronger than ever. My gaze snapped to the wizard himself—the wound in the middle of his chest was gone, as if it had never existed.

Cora's knees buckled. Regina ran forward to catch her as she fell.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Regina asked worriedly.

"This… Would've been enough," Cora said weakly. "You…. You both would've been enough."

And then she was gone. My mother was dead.

"Mother?" Regina's voice broke as she turned desperately to Rumple. "What's going on?"

The Dark One was on his feet now, staring down at my sobbing sister as she cradled my mother's body in her arms.

"Mother? Don't leave me, please," Regina pleaded. "What am I gonna do?"

I don't think it would be possible for my reaction to be any more different than Regina's. For me, there were no tears, no grieving, just… Nothing. I hadn't even moved once. I felt no sadness, or any pain at all. I wonder if I should have—If I should have been a crying mess like my sister. I mean, even after all Cora had done, she was still my mother. Was there something wrong with me that her death brought forth no emotion at all? Perhaps, deep in my heart, I saw Cora's defeat as some sort of justice for everything she'd done. For Regina's Daniel, for what happened to Marmoreal, for Luc—

"Your mother did you no favors," Rumple finally spoke.

"Shut up!" Regina snapped. "You stole her life! You cast some spell."

"I did nothing," Rumple replied calmly.

Although I had no idea what other option there was, something told me he was telling the truth. I remained silent once more, but finally moved forward and knelt, wrapping my arms around my sister's shoulders.

"Regina! Stop!"

Snow's frantic voice rang through the room as she sprinted through the doorway, only to freeze when she saw Cora's body. The look on her face was a dead giveaway of her guilt.

I should've known—Snow was the one who gave Regina Cora's heart, but who knows what she could've done to it before we arrived at the vault. Snow had been the one who wanted Cora dead the most, so why wouldn't she find a way to get what she wanted. I mean, it's not like she'd care if she hurt Regina to do it. She'd made that painfully clear.

"You did this," Regina hissed venomously.

Snow did not respond. She just stood there, frozen, looking like she was going to cry. I can't say I felt anything resembling sympathy for her at that point. Although, I didn't exactly want to kill her as much as Regina did, either.

Cora may be dead, but the confrontation was far from over. I think this is only the beginning.


End file.
